


Those Blue Eyes

by AllAboutFnaf



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Abused Dean, Abusive John Winchester, Alternate Universe - College/University, Background CharliexDorothy, Cas wants to help Dean, Dean can't speak correctly, Dean doesn't have a lot of self confidence, Dean has Scars, Dean is protective of Sam, Destiel - Freeform, Eventual CharliexGilda, Fluff, M/M, Mechanic Dean, Protective Dean, Slight bit of angst, Slow Burn Romance, Uncle Bobby Singer, Writer Cas, confused cas, destiel college au, mentions of abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-11-24
Updated: 2019-05-03
Packaged: 2019-08-28 08:40:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 10
Words: 21,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16720041
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AllAboutFnaf/pseuds/AllAboutFnaf
Summary: Dean Winchester is 18. He's just moved out of the house he shared with his abusive father, and he's taken his little brother with him. Dean moves to a small town in Kansas, far from where his dad was, and decides to attend the local college. There, he meets a boy with a pair of unforgettable blue eyes.





	1. First Day

**Author's Note:**

> I posted this story on my Wattpad account, and then I decided to also put it up on here. I'll update this story once a week (On Thursdays) until it's caught up to the Wattpad version, and then it'll be updated every other Thursday. I don't yet know how many chapters I'll write, but probably no more than 20. Each chapter will be at least 1000 words.  
> Also, halfway through editing this, it suddenly saved itself as a draft and when I went back to update I had to hand type the paragraph command, which is why there's two spaces between the first couple of paragraphs and only one between the second half.

Dean didn't know why he’d set his alarm clock for 6:30 in the morning, of all times. When his alarm clock blared that morning at six thirty, he slammed it off with a look of frustration mixed with regret on his face. It was the weekend before college started, in the brand new town he had moved into just two weeks prior.

 

Dean groaned as he stretched, the relief of stretching his muscles rushing through him. He sighed and then yawned, before turning to face his closet full of clothes. 

 

He grabbed two jackets and a black shirt, pulled them all on, then tugged on some jeans. He closed the door of his closet before glancing at his reflection in the mirror. Assuring himself he looked fine, he walked out into the tiny kitchen of the tiny apartment he had managed to buy. Dean had been saving money since he was 10, from birthdays or Christmases or anywhere he could get money. He had even snagged a few dollar bills out of people’s wallets in his utter desperation. He had been desperate to move out since the age of 10, out from under the roof of his abusive father. And sure enough, just weeks after Dean graduated high school, he managed to purchase an apartment in a small town on the opposite side of Kansas. He had quite quickly packed all of his and his brother's stuff, and had dragged his younger brother with him to the apartment. 

 

It was tiny with bad plumbing and the constant smell of cats, but Dean managed to live there just fine. Any place with his brother but without his father was an amazing place indeed.

 

Speaking of his brother, Dean peeked his head into Sam’s room, only to see Sam sleeping soundly in his bed. Dean smiled and quietly closed the door, before turning his attention to the kitchen. 

 

Dean fixed himself a measly breakfast of cereal, downing all off it in an incessant hunger. After spending most of his savings on buying the apartment and paying all necessary bills, Dean barely had anything left for food. Of course, he had taken up two different jobs, one at a McDonalds nearby and the other at a library, working as a library assistant. Both were rather boring jobs, but Dean was glad to have them. But since neither of them paid very well, he barely had enough money to scrape by. 

 

Dean grabbed the bag he had bought to carry his school stuff in, and piled his textbooks and pencils into it. He checked the clock, seven am.

 

Dean heaved his bag over his shoulder, and opened the door. He turned, glanced briefly at Sam’s room, then locked the front door behind him.

 

Dean climbed into his car, and after placing his school bag on the ground, began the twenty minute drive to the college he was to attend.  
As Dean drove, he turned on the radio, trying to find some rock song to listen to. Finally, he settled on Back in Black by AC/DC, and lip synced the song as he drove along. 

 

He reached the college in exactly twenty minutes, right on time. He shut his door and locked the car, before he made his way to the main office so he could get his schedule and dorm room. As he reached the front door of the college, he looked up at the college in awe. Sighing, he opened the door and walked inside the large building. 

 

The main office was fairly easy to find, and the halls weren't too crowded, with only a few college kids finding their dorms. Dean walked into the main office and walked to a woman sitting at a computer. 

 

“Name?” She questioned, not even glancing up to look at Dean.

 

“Dean Winchester.” 

 

The woman bit her lip in concentration as she scanned her computer screen. “Ah, here you are. Your dorm is room 242, you have a roommate.” The woman printed out Dean’s schedule and handed it to him, along with a map of the dorms. “School starts on the 25th. You’ll need to move in tomorrow.” 

 

“Thank you.” Dean spoke before walking out with his schedule. He got back into his car and dialed his father figure, Bobby, who was living in the town Dean was staying in.

 

“Hey Bobby. I just got my dorm information, and I have to move in tomorrow, so Sam’s gonna have to stay with you for a while.”

 

“That's alright boy.” Bobby replied gruffly, a hint of happiness in his voice. “I don't mind taking care of Sam. But the question is, you gonna move out of your apartment?”

 

“What choice do I have? Sam’s 14, I can't exactly let him live by himself in the apartment, even if you visit everyday.” Dean replied, his hand gripping the wheel. He hadn't even started his car yet.

 

“Well, if you do move out, you can always live with me in the summer.” Bobby offered. Dean smiled at the offer.

 

“Thanks Bobby. I appreciate it.”

 

“Of course boy, and you don't need to thank me. That's what I’m here for, right? Now you go home and buy you and your brother some food.”

 

Dean hung up on Bobby, then started his car. He started to drive home, listening to rock music on the entire drive home.  
When Dean got home at 8, Sam was still asleep. Dean shook his head, and then turned his head when he heard a knock at the door. He opened the door to see Bobby standing there with a smile on his face. 

 

“C’mon boy, I’m taking you grocery shopping.”

 

Dean climbed into Bobby’s car and the two of them took off to the nearby grocery store. When they walked inside, Bobby insisted Dean get anything and everything he’d need for college life for the next month. Dean gathered a bunch of snacks, such as cookies and chips. He also got lots of hamburger meat, ramen and pasta fixings, and lots and lots of bacon. He then got some salad fixings for Sam, and proclaimed he was done. Bobby insisted on paying for it all, all $250 of it. 

 

“You really didn't need to pay for it.” Dean spoke as they walked out of the store. “I could've covered it.”

 

“And lose money you could use to pay your bills? Boy, I know how much money you have versus how much your bills cost. I am going to be paying for your groceries for the next few months until you can catch up and have a steady income.” Bobby lectured as they walked back to the car. “I am your guardian for now, I’m not gonna let you go hungry anymore.” 

 

Dean nearly burst into tears hearing that. After years of abuse from his dad, and years of going hungry, he had gotten used to the ache he felt whenever he didn't eat; he had gotten used to the feeling that no adult would care for him. Instead, determined to not cry, Dean bit his lip and nodded. “Thank you Bobby.” He whispered, his voice shaky. Bobby shook his head and placed a hand on Dean’s shoulder.

 

“Like I said earlier boy, there's no need to thank me.” 

 

They both climbed into Bobby’s car, and Bobby took off driving back to Dean’s apartment. Once they got back, they walked inside, only to discover that Sam was awake.

 

“Heya Sammy.” Dean spoke, as his younger brother ran towards him and engulfed him in his arms. Dean hugged back, and Sam soon pulled away, and hugged Bobby in turn. 

 

“Hey! Wait, did you get groceries?” Sam questioned, glancing at the bags Dean and Bobby were carrying. 

 

“Yep. Bobby paid for all of them.” Dean replied, placing a few bags down on one of the tables. 

 

Sam turned to look at Bobby, then unexpectedly hugged him with all he had. “Thank you Bobby.” Sam whispered, and Bobby smiled as Sam said this. 

 

“No need to thank me boy. You just make sure to eat well from now on. And you’re coming to stay with me while your brother attends college.” Bobby explained, as Sam pulled away in shock. 

 

“Seriously?”

 

“Of course, didja think you’d stay here by yourself? At the age of fourteen?” Bobby exclaimed. “Ya idjit, there's no way you’re gonna live by yourself at fourteen. You’ll be living with me until you’re old enough to go to college yourself.” Bobby ruffled Sam’s hair as he said this, and Sam couldn't help but smile. Dean smiled too, the sight of his baby brother’s smile too much for him to bear. He’d missed that smile.

Bobby helped Sam pack all of his stuff to move in with him, all while Dean packed his things to move into his new dorm. Sam finished packing everything an hour later, and by then Dean was also finished packing his things. Dean had told the landlord he was moving out a week prior, so he went to talk again to the landlord to officially say he was moving out, while Bobby took Sam to his place so Sam could officially move in. Sam couldn't be happier to move in with Bobby, after all, Bobby had been the one to care for both Sam and Dean after they fled their abusive father. Bobby was the main reason Dean had chosen this town in particular, and stayed in Kansas, rather than running off to California or even Hawaii, to get as far away from his dad as possible.

Once the move-out was official, Dean took all of his things and placed them in the Impala, before he turned the key into the ignition and began to drive towards Bobby’s. He was to move into the college tomorrow, so he’d figure he’d spend the rest of the day planning what to bring and how to decorate his dorm room, and what to expect from a roommate.

~~~~~

Dean’s alarm went off at exactly 8am in the morning the very next day. Dean, who had fallen asleep at 3 in the morning, groggily turned his alarm off before sitting up on the bed Bobby had let him sleep in. Dean stood up and began looking through the tiny amount of clothes he owned. He soon decided on a leather jacket, green jacket and black shirt, along with a pair of jeans. He patted down his hair, which was resembling that of a hedgehogs hair, and glanced at himself in the mirror. Other than his hair attempting to rebel against him, he looked just fine. Dean sighed and walked out into the kitchen, only to see no one but himself was awake yet. Dean grabbed a chocolate muffin to munch on before he began grabbing all of his stuff. Dean then suddenly realized he needed to take a shower, and he grabbed a towel out of the laundry room before he walked into one of the three bathrooms.

When he stepped into the hot water, it was as though anything bad he was thinking off washed away in the water. The hot water was comforting and warm against his bare skin, and he sighed in content at how warm the water was. He washed his hair and the rest of himself, and got out of the shower a few minutes after he was done washing, as the water was just too comforting to step out of. Alas, he had to actually do stuff today, so he turned the water off and stepped out into the bathroom. The icy cold air nipped at his skin, but he quickly dried himself off with a towel, which made the cold air just a little more bearable. He then got redressed in the clothes he had originally put on, and finally opened the bathroom door.

By then, Bobby was awake, sipping on a bottle of beer when Dean walked into the room. Bobby hastily put the beer away, however, not wanting to set Dean off. Dean’s father had drank so much so often that Dean could barely see alcohol without cringing.  
“Good morning boy. You going off to your dorm to move in?” Bobby asked. Dean nodded, and Bobby smiled. “Alright. Take your car, drive careful. Text me when you’re done so I know everything’s good.”

“I will Bobby,” Dean spoke, nodding, “I will. I’ll stop by again to eat lunch with Sammy.”

Bobby looked up at Dean from his seat as Dean grabbed all of his things. “Sam’ll love that.”

Dean nodded in agreement, then grabbed the four boxes of his stuff (including food) and put it all in his car. Then, he turned the key into the engine and began to drive.

Dean passed by many pretty things as he drove. Dean wasn't paying much attention to any of them, but each were pretty in their own aspects. Things like farms and sculptures, things Dean had never taken the time to look at before.

He listened to rock music the entire drive, occasionally singing along to the rock music that blared from his radio. The twenty minute drive seemed longer than that, but perhaps it was just because Dean was taking his time.

When Dean parked in the student parking lot, he cut the engine of the Impala and stepped out. He grabbed both boxes and carried both upstairs to his dorm room, room 242. He opened the door with the key he had been given yesterday, to see a relatively nice sized room, bigger than any bedroom he had ever had.

He began unpacking his things, putting the blankets Bobby had bought him on his bed. At 10 that morning, not too long after Dean was fully unpacked, a knock came at the door. Expecting his roommate, he opened the door to see a boy standing there.  
The boy was just barely shorter than Dean, with dark, almost black hair and enchantingly beautiful blue eyes. His face was clean and pretty, and his hair was ruffled and unkempt.

“I’m guessing you're my roommate.” Dean remarked, as he stepped aside to let the boy pass.

“If you're also in this room, then yes.” The boy replied, his voice slightly deeper than what Dean was expecting. A boy suddenly walked in behind the dark haired boy.

The second boy was shorter, with golden hair and eyes, and a cheery smile on his face. “I’m just here to help this guy move in.” The second boy explained, still smiling.

“I’ll get out of here if you need me to.” Dean offered, but the first boy shook his head.

“It's fine, we’ll be alright unpacking with you in here.” The boy remarked, shaking his hand. “I just have a few boxes.”

“By a few, he means ten.” The second boy laughed. “My name’s Gabriel. Your new grumpy roommate is my little brother, Castiel.”

The first boy, Castiel, nodded. “May I ask your name?”

“Dean Winchester.” Dean introduced.

“Castiel Novak. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

The boy suddenly placed the box he was holding on the second bed, and the second boy also dropped his box. They walked out to go get more boxes, and Dean saw this as an opportunity to go out and buy himself some actual breakfast with the money Bobby had given him for food.

He drove to the closest restaurant, which was a McDonalds. There he ordered two big macs and a coke, all of which he wolfed down extremely quickly. Despite wolfing it all down, he managed to savor every bite he took. He wasn't used to eating this much food at once. He was so happy to finally have money of his own for food, money that he could use to buy actual meals rather than the occasional snack and spaghetti fixings. It didn't take Dean long to be finished with his food, and once he was, he threw all his garbage away and drove back to the University.

When Dean got back to his room, Dean’s roommate, Castiel, and his brother Gabriel had completely transformed Castiel’s side of the room. Posters covered the wall, blankets and pillows were arranged on the bed just so, and a few items, keepsakes and photographs, littered the one shelf on Cas’s side of the room.

“You two sure know how to decorate.” Dean remarked as he walked into the dorm room. Cas turned around, briefly startled by Dean’s sudden reappearance.

“I’m very particular.” Cas explained, looking at one of the posters. “Everything has to be just so. That's why my stuff is always neat.”  
Dean laughed. “Well, you’re gonna have a hella hard time with me as a roommate. I can't clean or keep my stuff neat for shit.”  
Cas cocked his head, then turned to glance back over the posters. “I’m sure we’ll get along just fine.” He remarked, not entirely focused on any one thing in that moment.

Dean tilted his head, then sighed and nodded. “Then from here on out, we must vow to get along.”

Cas turned to face Dean, the end of his lips curving up only the slightest bit. “Alright. Let's get along.”


	2. They were roommates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas talk a bit more. Meanwhile, Dean meets Charlie and Sam makes a new friend

Dean woke up the following Monday at 7 in the morning exactly, from his roommates alarm. Dean groaned as Castiel turned the alarm clock off.

 

"Oh, did my alarm wake you?" Cas questioned, looking over at Dean, who was shuffling around under his covers.

 

"Yes." Dean replied grudgingly, laying on his side in an attempt to get comfortable again.

 

"Well, I assume we both have classes at 8:30 this morning, so I'd suggest getting up and getting ready." Cas mused, walking to the cabinet full of clothes he had unpacked. He grabbed a trench coat and a few other clothing items, and went into the bathroom to get dressed, while Dean attempted to get up and out of bed. Suddenly, his phone rang, and the caller ID read 'Bobby'.

 

"Hello?"

 

"Dean! Good morning!"

 

Dean smiled at his brother's voice. "Sammy, how are ya? What are ya doing calling me this early?"

 

"Well, Bobby said your classes start at 8:30, and mine do too, so I woke up early so I could call you." Sam replied.

 

"That's nice of you, to wake up this early just to call me."

 

"You're my brother, I'd wake up at 6 am to talk to you."

 

Dean couldn't help the smile that erupted all across his face. Cas, who had just finished getting dressed, poked his head out of the bathroom, only to see Dean sitting on his bed, talking on the phone.

 

"That's sweet Sam. Hey, listen, I actually have to get ready now, but I'll drive out to visit you this Saturday, okay?"

 

"Alright!" Sam cried, "I'll call you every day until then."

 

"Alright. I'll talk to you this afternoon, how about that? At 6 pm."

 

"Alright! Bye Dean."

 

Dean held his phone closer to his face. "Bye Sammy."

 

As Dean hung up, Cas walked out of the bathroom. "Who was that?"

 

Dean looked up, a bit startled by Cas's sudden reappearance. "It was my brother."

 

"I didn't know you had a brother." Cas remarked, tilting his head.

 

"He's my baby brother." Dean explained, placing his phone down. "He's just started high school, so he won't be in college until I'm out."

 

"Oh. I can understand that, I have a younger brother as well. Not Gabriel, Gabriel's my older brother. I do have a younger brother who is in high school, though. Just started this year, same as your brother." Cas spoke. "His name's   
Samandriel."

 

Dean stood up suddenly, and began sifting through the small amount of clothes he had. "My brothers name is Sam."

 

Dean picked up a leather jacket, another jacket and a shirt, and a pair of jeans. As he did so, Cas took a small step back, leaning against the wall.

 

"Hey, do you want anything for breakfast? My brother's gonna stop by the dorm with food in a few minutes." Cas offered.

 

"Your brother Gabriel?"

 

"Yeah. He's actually in his last year of college here. His dorm room is upstairs, on the senior's floor." Cas explained.

 

The college Dean was in had four floors of dorms for both girls and boys. First floor was for freshmen, second for sophomores, third for juniors and fourth for seniors. There was also two dorm buildings for both boys and girls, as despite being a college for a relatively small town, there was a lot of students in the college.

 

"Uh, sure. I'm always in the mood for free food." Dean replied with a shrug, making his way to the bathroom to change. Cas stepped out of the way to let Dean past, and nodded in response.

 

"I will let my brother know."

 

Sure enough, as promised, Gabriel swung by the dorm exactly ten minutes later with breakfast. The three of them all ate the breakfast together, before Gabriel took off to his classes.

 

"What class do you have first? Or actually, what's even your major?" Dean questioned, glancing at Cas.

 

"I'm majoring in Creative Writing, so my first class is creative nonfiction." Cas replied, glancing at his schedule. "What about you?"

 

"I'm majoring in Mechanical Engineering. My first class is Calculus, unfortunately." Dean replied. "I hate math, I suck at it."

 

Cas chuckled. "Well, any type of engineering requires math."

 

Dean groaned, grabbing the bag of school supplies he had prepared. "Yeah, that's the shitty thing." Dean sighed, and suddenly turned to face Cas. "What's your brother Gabriel majoring in?"

 

Cas tilted his head. "My brother? He's majoring in business. He wants to own a candy shop someday." Cas glanced in the direction his brother had taken off in, and smiled. "My entire family thought he was crazy to pursue business. They said he should go for drama, or something like that. No one expected him to do so well as a business major, you see. But he's proving our family wrong. He loves it, though. He rubs it in everyone's faces at holidays, like 'look at me, I'm gonna graduate with a business degree'. It annoys most of our family."

 

"I definitely wouldn't have thought of him as a business major." Dean remarked.

 

Cas shrugged his shoulders, picking up his bag before turning to face Dean. "Well, everyone in my family was surprised when he became a business major."

 

Cas waved goodbye and took off to his first class of the day, and Dean walked off to his first class of the day, Calculus. Not too long after he sat down, a redhead girl appeared next to him.

 

"Can I sit here?" She asked, and Dean nodded. The girl sat down, unpacked her bags and faced the front of the lecture room. Suddenly, she turned to face Dean. "My name's Charlie, Charlie Bradbury. What's yours?"

 

"Dean Winchester." Dean replied, and the girl cocked her head.

 

"Winchester. Like the Winchester Mystery House? That place is amazing. I went there when I was 15, it's wicked." Charlie babbled, her eyes lighting up.

 

"Yeah, just like the Winchester Mystery House." Dean remarked. He couldn't count the number of people who had related his name to the famous California tourist attraction.

 

"What's your major?" Charlie asked, tilting her head slightly. "Mine's Computer Science."

 

"Mechanical Engineering." Dean replied. "I want to work with cars."

 

Charlie nodded. "That's a cool aspiration. I just want to do stuff with computers."

 

"That is also a cool aspiration." Dean pointed out, and Charlie waved her hand.

 

"Nah, it isn't that cool," she replied, "there's a lot of cooler aspirations. My mom hounded me for wanting to work with computers. She wanted me to do medicine, which is what most people in my family do."

 

Dean scoffed, shaking his head. "Well I say it's good you went after your aspiration."

 

Charlie smiled, thanked Dean, and began to focus on the paper she had pulled out.

 

The class soon started, and both Charlie and Dean focused on what the professor started to say.

 

The class went by rather quickly. The professor had dived right into the hard stuff, which Dean hadn't been expecting. Then again, this was college. It was bound to be different from middle and high school.

 

Dean's second class of the day was chemistry, and after that was lunch. Dean sat at a lone table during lunch, in the ginormous campus cafeteria. Many people sat outside, chattering amongst themselves. Dean saw no reason to go outside and sit in the hot sun, so he stayed inside in the air conditioning. Lunch lasted for an hour, and Dean finished his food rather quickly, so he just looked on his phone for most of the time.

 

Dean only had three classes today, so a while after lunch ended, he went to his third class, physics. Physics was a bore, but still incredibly hard, even on the first day. Dean had never been good at physics, so he struggled to keep up with the notes.

 

Once all his classes were finished, he collapsed in his dorm room. His roommate was not back yet, so Dean hooked his headphones into his phone, blasted his music through the headphones and danced for a bit, before he ultimately fell asleep, music still playing, but much softer.

 

Dean woke up at 4 that afternoon, his dorm room still empty. His phone had died and his music had ceased, so he plugged his phone in to charge, and then pulled his homework out. His homework took him an entire hour to do, during which not even a knock came on the door of the dorm. Dean finished his homework at a quarter past five, when his phone began to rang. He checked his phone, smiled when he saw his brother's name as the caller ID, and picked up.

 

"Hiya Sammy." Dean muttered, still tired but with a smile now on his face.

 

"Dean! How was your first day of school?"

 

"Mine was great, but how about yours? Was your first day good?"

 

"I was behind." Sam admitted, a hint of shyness in his voice. "Everyone else started on Thursday of last week, so I was behind. But I made a friend! His name's Andy, and he's cool."

 

"A friend? That's so good, Sam!" Dean cried. "I'm proud of you."

 

Dean could tell Sam had smiled in response. "Thank you Dean. I have to go, I have to work on a worksheet, but I wanted to talk to you for a bit."

 

"Alright. Bye bye Sammy, you have a good rest of your day now." Dean replied. Sam bid Dean goodbye and hung up, and Dean couldn't help but smile at the happiness he had heard in his brother's voice during the entire call. He had never heard his brother so happy.

 

Dean put his phone back on the charger and looked up a few nearby restaurants. Eventually, he decided on a burger place called Five Guys, and grabbed his phone and wallet and keys. He went to his car, unlocked it, got into his car and turned on the ignition. He drove to the burger place and walked inside.

 

Dean ordered a regular hamburger and a soda, and his food was out within minutes. He sat by a window, glancing out at the people walking past. Adults, children, a few teenagers with dyed hair; Dean saw a whole array of people pass by. Dean was taking in the time to look at the little details of the people that walked past, as he had never gotten that chance. 

 

All his family outings to a restaurant were usually spent eating and trying to talk at a whisper, so as to not upset his dad by being loud. Dean shuddered at the thought of his father upset. He couldn't even begin to think of what his father was like now, after Dean and Sam had ran away. Thank goodness John was always too drunk to memorize Dean's phone number to use to track him.

 

Once Dean finished eating, he headed back to his dorm. His roommate was actually there, talking on the phone with someone.

 

"Who are you talking to?" Dean asked as he walked into the room. Cas glanced at him, held a finger up, then hung up the phone a minute later.

 

"I was talking to my friend Meg." Cas replied. "I've known her since ninth grade. She moved to Ohio last year, so I can only talk to her through phone calls and texts."

 

Dean cocked his head. "Huh, well that's cool that you have a friend to talk to."

 

"Don't you?"

 

"Other than my brother? Not really. I just moved here a few weeks ago, I hardly know anybody." Dean remarked, sighing.

 

"I'll introduce you to my friends, then. That way, you can have other people besides your brother to talk to." Cas spoke, unlocking his phone.

 

Dean put his drink down and waved his hand. "It's fine. I'm sure I'll meet people here." 

 

Cas nodded and put his phone down, flopping down onto his bed. "It's already eight o'clock." He remarked, glancing at the clock on the bed stand. "Have you had dinner?" When Dean nodded, Cas sighed and laid his head back. "I'll order pizza for myself, then."

 

"Hey! I'm still hungry enough for pizza!" Dean cried. "Order me a slice!"

 

Cas sighed but nodded, and picked up his phone to order some pizza.


	3. Mondays

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean and Cas talk a bit about breakfast. Dean, to his dismay, begins to fall in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So back when I was originally writing this chapter, I didn't mean to make Dean fall this quickly, it just kinda happened. But this fic is a slow burn romance for a reason, and you'll see why.  
> Also, slight trigger warning for mentions of abuse/description of scars. Also also, Cas's past will be explored a bit in later chapters, but until around chapter 7, the story will be more from Dean's perspective.

Dean's first week of college passed by rather quickly, as did his second and third. By his fourth week of college, Dean was already struggling to keep up with the demand of his classes.

 

Dean did manage to carve out enough time in his schedule to call his brother once a day and drive to visit his brother every weekend. 

 

Meanwhile, Dean was making new friends and talking to his roommate on a daily basis. Cas turned out to be a rather interesting guy. With triple the amount of siblings that any sane person could handle, Cas had a rather large immediate family and even bigger extended family.

 

Cas's brother Gabriel swung by the dorm about once every three-four days, averaging one-two times a week. Dean didn't particularly like Gabriel, as something in Gabriel's personality just irritated Dean, but he never said anything. He figured it best to leave his pet peeves in silence; living with his father his entire life had more than taught him to never bring up something that could turn into an argument. Dean had had enough arguments in his life end physically, and he didn't want anymore of those.

 

One day, as Dean stepped out of the shower, he took the time to glance at the scars on his body. Most were barely visible, such as the tiny scratches left from broken beer bottles. There were a few light scars on his left wrist, easily covered by even the lightest makeup. Dean would never admit to using makeup, but he'd rather use makeup than explain any of his scars. He wasn't all that fond of reliving the pain of his youth.

 

Being roommates, Cas had managed to get a glimpse of a scar or two on Dean's skin, but he was smart enough to keep quiet and never ask anything. Cas had his own experiences with violence that he too would rather not relive.

 

The fourth monday of college started off as any other monday did: alarms blaring at 7:30 in the morning. Dean hated the alarms, as he had never been good with waking up. Nevertheless, he woke up at the first alarm every single day, and always got up without much verbal complaint. As Dean brushed his teeth, he heard the somewhat familiar clatter of plates, signaling that Cas was eating breakfast.

 

"Poptarts again?" Dean remarked as he walked out of the bathroom, only to see Cas munching on a strawberry poptart, a common breakfast for him.

 

"Poptarts are perfectly good breakfast food, Dean." Cas replied, taking a bite of the poptart.

 

"I know that, it's just you eat them almost every day. Don't you eat anything else for breakfast?"

 

"Pancakes, whenever my mom would fix them." Cas explained. "Occasionally waffles or cereal. My family wasn't big on breakfast when I was growing up."

 

"My father wasn't big on breakfast either." Dean remarked, shuffling through a cabinet to find a breakfast item. He soon settled on a poptart, just like Cas, and wolfed it down.

 

Dean was always hungry lately, no matter how much he ate. His energy levels had also been a bit low, and he was feeling slightly ill, but he disregarded it, as feeling ill was way too common for him. Due to the malnutrition he suffered, he was almost always low on energy. He also had been feeling under the weather, but he refused to go to a doctor.

 

Cas tossed a bottle of water to Dean, and Dean caught it. "Take that, and drink it. You need to drink something other than soda."

 

Dean huffed but unscrewed the cap of the water bottle and drank some of the water inside. The water was crisp against his dry throat, which he hadn't even realized was dry and sore until he began drinking the water. He nearly drank half the bottle before he stopped himself.

 

Catching himself, Dean screwed the cap back on and set the bottle down. "Thanks." He spoke, glancing at Cas. Cas nodded and opened the front door, grabbed his bag and walked off.

 

Dean finished his poptart and hastily grabbed his bag, swung it over his shoulder, grabbed his water bottle and walked out of the dorm room and to his first class. His classes ended at 4 that day, and once they were over, he got a bite to eat at the local IHop. He once again wolfed his food down in record time, and gulped his drink down. His phone buzzed as he finished his food, and he glanced at it to see a text from Cas.

 

_Have to go visit family today. I'll be back at the dorm at nine tonight._

 

Dean smiled at the simple text, stowing his phone away as he waited for a waitress so that he could pay for his food.

 

Dean got back to the dorms at 5 that afternoon, and the dorm was empty. He set his bag down on the floor, then walked to the bathroom and turned on the water of the shower. Dean then undressed and stepped into the warm water, sighing as it hit his back. He had always loved a warm shower. He stood in the shower for a solid five minutes, doing nothing but enjoying the warm water against his skin. After five minutes, he began washing his hair and body.

 

Dean got out of the shower a few minutes later, wrapped himself in a towel and got dressed into a clean set of clothes. 

 

As he walked back into the dorm, he momentarily wondered where Cas was, before remembering the text he had received from Cas just an hour earlier. For some strange reason, Dean actually missed Cas. Dean assumed it was because Cas was his friend, but since he had never had a proper friend before, he couldn't be sure.

 

Dean fell onto his bed and stretched, spreading his limbs out as he sighed in content. He couldn't remember a happier time.

~~~~~

Cas, as promised, returned at 9 that night. Dean was still awake, watching reruns of 90s shows.

 

"Hello, Dean." Cas remarked as he walked into the dorm. Dean sat up and waved.

 

"Hey Cas."

 

Cas set his bag down on the table and sat on the couch next to Dean, yawning as Dean used the remote to flip through the channels.

 

"Tired?" Dean remarked, glancing at Cas. Cas nodded and yawned a second time.

 

"My brothers have too much energy. I always get tired after visiting them, because they wind me up so much." Cas explained, leaning his head back.

 

Dean chuckled. "Well your brothers sound fun." Dean turned his focus back to the TV, trying to find a channel to watch. 

 

As Dean did so, Cas slowly drifted off to sleep, and soon, Dean found Cas's head resting on his shoulder. Dean would've moved him, but Cas looked rather peaceful sleeping, and something in Dean told him to not disturb Cas. So, he didn't. Instead, he took one of his two jackets off and laid it over Cas like a blanket. And not even an hour later, Dean had fallen asleep with his own head leaning against Cas.

~~~~~

Dean woke up the next morning shivering, and was about to question why when he realized he was still on the couch, Cas laying against him, fast asleep. Dean smiled, his eyes scanning Cas's face. He had rather handsome features, and his hair was dark, not black but dark enough to look black under certain lighting. His skin was clear and soft, barely a blemish on it. Dean entertained himself for the next ten minutes by just staring at Cas's face. He soon caught himself when Cas began to stir, and Dean's face flushed when he realized what he had been doing.

 

"Oh, did I fall asleep on the couch?" Cas groaned, yawning as he woke up. "I'm sorry, I apologize for that."

 

"It's fine." Dean insisted, waving his hand. "Don't apologize."

 

Cas cocked his head to the side a little, scanning Dean's face. "Alright, if you say so." 

 

Cas stood up, stretched, and walked to the kitchen, leaving Dean to mentally slap himself. "I'm craving pancakes, you wanna go to IHOP?"

 

Dean nodded, and Cas picked some clothes out of his drawer.

 

"Alright, let's go in half an hour." Cas suggested, making his way to the bathroom. "I'm gonna change, you should too. My first class is at noon so we gotta be back by then."

 

Dean nodded, stood up and stretched his legs. He took the first opportunity he could to slap his face, chastising himself. He couldn't be falling, not this quickly, and not for a guy. Hell no. There was no way.

 

While Cas changed, Dean changed into clothes from his drawer, then took the time to run his hands through his hair and fix it up a little. Cas emerged from the bathroom less than a minute later, dressed in his usual trench coat, suit, dress shirt and black pants. Dean gasped in awe a little, then turned his face to hide from Cas's sight.

 

"You ready?" Cas questioned, gazing at Dean, who had his back turned. Dean nodded, grabbing his phone.

 

"Yeah, let's go. And let's take my car." Dean replied, turning to face Cas. Cas nodded, and Dean grabbed his keys.

 

The two made their way to the dorm's parking lot, which was full of cars. They made their way to Dean's car, and Dean climbed into the driver's seat and Cas into the passenger's seat.

 

Dean drove to the nearest IHOP, and he walked with Cas up to the door of the IHOP and walked in. Dean and Cas found a booth near the front door, sat down, and began looking at their menus.

 

A waitress came over, introduced herself as Shaye and took both their orders. Once she walked off with her notepad in hand, Dean turned to face  
Cas.

 

"Have you lived in Kansas your whole life?" Dean asked, tilting his head.

 

Cas shook his head, placing his phone face down on the table. "My family only moved here eight years ago. Before that, we lived in Illinois." Cas sighed, then looked up at Dean. "What about you?"

 

"I was born here." Dean explained. "On the other side of the state, though."

 

"Why'd you move here?" Cas questioned.

 

"It's... personal." Dean replied, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "I'd rather not say."

 

Cas nodded, catching on that Dean didn't want to say anything else.

 

"What about you?"

 

"Me? Well, long story short, my parents were adopting a kid and that kid was all the way out here. They came here, thought this city looked nice, and decided to move here." Cas explained, shrugging his shoulders. "It took a few months to get everything here, and none of my siblings really liked having to move. We all got used to this place after a few months."

 

"Well, this city is pretty nice, from what I've seen." Dean agreed.

 

"When did you move out here?"

 

"About four weeks into summer."

 

The waitress stopped by and handed Dean and Cas their food, and they continued talking over their pancakes and bacon.

 

"My brother and I moved out here, cuz we got a family friend here. My brother's staying with him."

 

"What about your parents?"

 

Dean sighed, putting his fork down. "My mom died when I was a toddler. My dad, he's.... Well, I don't really know where he is anymore. I haven't talked to him in months."

 

Cas could tell Dean didn't want to talk much more, so Cas stayed silent, then struck up a conversation about something else, and the two talked happily.


	4. Omelettes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean makes omelettes. Benny appears and Charlie gets a girlfriend. Dean and Cas both watch AHS.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll try to write a bit of Charlie and Dorothy moments in this fic but I can't guarantee anything. Also, Dean can cook because why not

Dean immediately began to regret his life decisions when he woke up yet again to a blaring alarm at 7 in the morning. His first class was at 8:30 that morning, and he wished he could've just set his alarm for 8 rather than 7. Then again, Dean wasn't the quickest in the morning. He'd take a shower, change, and get breakfast, and that all took an hour to do. He'd then give himself half an hour to wake up and walk to his class, which was half a mile away from the dorm.

 

Cas was still asleep, as he managed to sleep through Dean's alarm. Cas was a deep sleeper, so he used a special alarm to wake up.

 

Dean walked into the bathroom and turned on the water, and walked out to his bed to get some clothes. As he did, he saw Cas begin to stir, but Dean got into the shower before he could see Cas fully wake up.

 

Dean stepped into the shower, sighing as the hot water poured onto his body. He loved the feel of a hot shower. He ran his hands through his hair, lathering it with soap and letting the water rinse it from his hair. After he washed his body and the soap was rinsed from his body, he stepped out into the cool, crisp air. It nipped at his skin, and he quickly wrapped himself in a towel to try and warm himself, protect his skin from the cold air.

 

As Dean pulled his clothes on, he heard a knock at the door.

 

"Are you in there, Dean?" Cas asked, his voice floating into the room.

 

"Yes." Dean called. "I'll be out in a minute."

 

"Alright."

 

Dean heard footsteps walk away from the door, indicating Cas had walked off. Dean pulled his jacket on and opened the door, only to see a half awake Cas sitting on the side of his bed, pulling his shirt off to begin changing. Cas glanced over at Dean, and they barely locked eyes before Dean shifted his eyes away.

 

"You can use the bathroom now." Dean remarked, walking into the kitchen. He grabbed a pan, put it on the oven, and began making an omelette. Dean had been cooking for himself and his brother since he was six, so he could make a whole array of dishes. And luckily, Bobby had bought him a cookbook when he was 10, so Dean had used that cookbook to fix breakfast, lunch and dinner for himself and his brother since then. He'd hide it from his father, then take it out while his father was off working, and cook enough food for a few days.

 

"Whatcha making there?" Cas questioned, sticking his head out of the bathroom at the aroma of food cooking.

 

"Bacon and egg omelette." Dean replied, holding up the pan to give Cas a little glimpse. "You want one?"

 

"Mhm." Cas spoke, nodding. "I always like a good omelette."

 

"Well, I'm not the best cook, but my brother always likes my food, so I guess you'll like my omelette just fine." Dean remarked. "You want any drinks with that?"

 

"A water." Cas droned, closing the door of the bathroom. Dean nodded and poured a glass of water, stuck three ice cubes in it and set it on the table, then went back to fixing his omelette. By the time he was done, Cas was out of the shower and dressed in his usual outfit. He took the glass of water and drank half of it, then began eating his omelette as soon as Dean placed it on the table in front of Cas. "Mm, this is delicious." Cas commented, shoving a forkful of the omelette into his mouth.

 

"Thanks." Dean replied, taking a forkful of his own omelette.

 

Cas seemed to savor every bite of the omelette, the flavors swirling in his mouth. Dean caught himself staring at Cas once or twice, and forced himself to stare in the opposite direction while shoving forkfuls of his omelette into his face.  
Cas finished his omelette first, and his fork fell to his plate with a clatter. "That was amazing!" He exclaimed, standing up to put his plate in the sink.

 

Dean blushed and mumbled "thank you" before he finished his own omelette, placing his plate in the sink.

 

As Dean poured water over the plates, he suddenly remembered something.

 

"Hey Cas?"

 

"Yeah?"

 

"Hey, I have a shift at McDonalds tonight, I won't be back until 10."

 

Cas tilted his head, glancing at Dean with a confused expression. "I didn't know you worked at McDonalds."

 

"I have to," Dean responded, shrugging his shoulders, "I don't have much money, and that and a librarian are my only ways of getting money right now. Well, other than my family friend, but I don't like to burden him."

 

Cas nodded in understanding, sensing the topic wasn't one to press any further. "Well, I'll try to have some dinner ready by the time you get back. I don't cook as good as you, but I can cook."

 

Dean nodded, grabbing his school stuff. "Well, I'll see you around ten tonight."

 

"See you at ten."

 

Dean walked out of the dorm and headed to his classes, meeting up with his friend Benny on the way, who he had met while getting lunch in his second week of college.

 

"Hey brother, how ya doin' this morning?" Benny questioned, as he walked right next to Dean.

 

"I'm good, just had breakfast. What about you?"

 

"I'm good," Benny replied, shrugging as he gripped his bag, "My roomie is giving me a whole lotta crap lately. He's an early bird, so he doesn't like that I'm a night owl." Benny turned, stopped for a quick second, and glanced at Dean. "How's your roommate? You two getting along?"

 

"Yeah, we're getting along fine." Dean said with a shrug. "He and I have different majors so, different classes. But, we'll go out to eat or watch shows when we're both at the dorms."

 

"That's nice, it's good you two get along." Benny commented, turning his head to face left. "My class is right here, so I'll see you at lunch, brother."

 

Dean nodded and waved goodbye to Benny, who walked off in the direction of his classes. Dean pulled out his phone, checking to make sure he wasn't late, then ran to his class. He got there just minutes shy of the class starting, and scrambled to find a good seat. 

 

When the class started, Dean managed to actually take some decent notes, trying his hardest to listen and write down whatever he could. The class seemed to drag on for a long time, and yet seemed to go by really fast, and before Dean knew it, it was 10 am, and the class was over. Dean grabbed his bag and headed back to his dorm, dropped off his bag and then headed to the campus cafeteria. 

 

There, he met up with his two friends, Charlie and Benny, whom he always ate lunch with. He would invite Cas, but Cas had already said he sat with three of his siblings.

 

However, when he walked to his lunch table today, he saw a new kid, a girl, sitting next to Charlie, and the two of them were talking and laughing. As Dean approached the table, Charlie seemed to snap out of her trance, and she glanced at Dean.

 

"Hey Dean!" She waved her hand, and when Dean sat down, she turned to quickly face the girl sitting next to her.

 

"Dean, this is my girlfriend, Dorothy. I invited her to sit with us."

 

"I didn't know you had a girlfriend, Charlie." Dean mused, holding out his hand to shake Dorothy's. Dorothy smiled and shook his hand, her brown hair bouncing slightly.

 

"We just started dating two days ago." Dorothy remarked, smiling. "I just transferred here two weeks ago. I don't really know anybody, so Charlie took me in."

 

Charlie glanced at Dean, beaming. "And besides, Dorothy is really nice. She's studying Aerospace Engineering!"

 

"Oh, you're into engineering too, then, huh?" Dean remarked, and Dorothy nodded.

 

"Yeah, I am. Charlie mentioned that you're in Mechanical Engineering. I would've gone with cars, but planes and flying fascinate me more than cars." Dorothy remarked, twirling a strand of her hair around her finger. She glanced at Benny, who was munching on a slab of steak. "What's your major?"

 

"Mine?" Benny questioned, glancing at Dorothy. "I'm majoring in Phlebotomy."

 

"Ooh, so you're gonna be drawing blood from people for a living?" Dorothy asked, and Benny nodded.

 

Charlie took Dorothy's hand and pointed at something on her phone, which made Dorothy laugh. Dorothy soon became immersed in whatever Charlie was showing her, so Dean took the time to strike up a conversation with Benny, and the two chatted for the rest of lunch.

 

Dean's second class started at 1 and ended at 2:30, so he got off in time for his shift at McDonalds, which started at 3. He had to deal with a few rude customers, including a middle aged man who demanded to get a refund on his burger and a woman who had a mind blowingly difficult order, and wouldn't accept anything less than perfection. 

 

By the time his shift ended at 9, Dean was just about fed up with people. He turned the keys into the ignition, revved up his car and drove back to his dorm. Cas was there, and true to his promise, had dinner ready by the time Dean walked in the door. He had prepared two hamburgers, which was one of the few things Cas even knew how to make.

 

"Hello Dean." Cas murmured when Dean walking in, setting his stuff down on the table. "I made burgers."

 

"Sweet! I love burgers." Dean remarked, sitting down at the table. Cas placed a glass of water down next to Dean before he sat down in his own seat. Dean took a large bite out of his burger, and continued to munch hungrily. Cas, however, ate slowly, taking time to sneak in small conversation with Dean.

 

"Is the food okay?" Cas asked, tilting his head. Dean nodded, making a noise of delight as he wolfed down his burger. Cas smiled and took a bite of his own burger, which was, to him, mediocre at best. Cas didn't like his own burgers.

 

Dean, to no surprise, finished his burger first, and got up to wash his plate once he was finished. Cas finished eating two minutes after Dean, and he washed his plate too.

 

"Do you wanna watch anything on the TV?" Dean asked, and Cas tilted his head in thought.

 

"Mm, AHS. I need to finish off Coven." Cas said, sitting down on the couch.

 

"You watch AHS?" Dean asked, and Cas nodded. "Hm. I wouldn't have taken you for a fan."

 

"My brother Lucifer got me into it." Cas continued with a shrug, taking the remote and flipping through the channels. "Are you not a fan?"

 

"Oh no, I am. A huge fan. I love anything scary, from horror movies to horror shows. Especially Halloween, that movie is a classic." Dean raved, sitting back as he watched Cas flip through the channels, and ultimately ending up at Netflix. Cas flipped through the shows on Netflix until he found AHS, and pulled up Hotel. 

 

As he started the ninth episode, Dean had to look off at the kitchen as to avoid staring at Cas. Dean didn't seem to fall easily, but when he did, he fell hard. And he was trying valiantly to convince himself that he wasn't falling for Cas, but he was failing tremendously.

 

"What season of AHS is your favorite?" Cas interjected, breaking the silence and startling Dean back to reality.

 

"Hm, that's tough..... I'd have to say my favorite so far is Murder House." Dean mused. "But, I did hear that the new season, Freak Show, is supposed to start next month, on the eighth. What about you?"

 

"I really like Coven so far. The historical aspect really lured me in, but the magic aspect is rather intriguing as well." Cas claimed, watching the episode intently. Dean murmured in agreement, his eyes trailing from the show to Cas and back to the show. And as Dean sat with his back against the couch, he felt peace. And he loved that feeling.


	5. Aquariums

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas decorates the dorm room, and tells Dean his sister Anna invited him to an aquarium. Dean meets Anna and visits his first ever aquarium

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to upload on the 20th but I had an exam every day during the entire week so forgive me. After this chapter, this version and the Wattpad version will have the same amount of chapters up, and they'll be uploaded in sync.

"What are these?" Dean questioned, looking at the paper decorations Cas had hung on the wall of their dorm room. Cas glanced at Dean and tilted his head in mild surprise.

 

"They're Halloween decorations." Cas replied, peering at the paper bats and ghosts he had hung on the wall. "Don't you put up Halloween decorations at home?"

 

Dean shook his head, setting a plate down on the table. "I was lucky just go get a costume. My family, we didn't celebrate Halloween much. We'd go trick or treating every couple of years, which I always enjoyed."

 

Cas bit his lip awkwardly, sensing not to press the matter further, and turned his head. "My family loves Halloween. My eldest brother always went all out for the holiday, he helped my parents decorate the house since he was 9."

 

"Your family sounds fun."

 

Cas cocked his head, briefly glancing at the ground, before he turned to face Dean. "My family's hosting a Halloween party on Halloween, and us family members can bring two people along. I can bring you with me, if you want."

 

"Sure, as long as I can bring my brother with me."

 

Cas nodded, and grabbed his wallet. "I'm going out to get some more food. You want anything?"

 

Dean perked his head up. "Ice cream and bacon."

 

Cas shook his head as a small smile crept onto his lips. "Alright. I'll be back in half an hour." Dean smiled and nodded, and Cas stepped out the door.

 

Dean turned back to focusing on the homework that he had left sitting on the table. It was for his Calculus class, which was his least favorite class, as it was the hardest. He drummed the pencil against the desk in a frustrated manner, his eyes gazing at the questions on the paper. He didn't understand how anyone could get this.

 

As the minutes passed, Dean gave up and decided to rummage through the pantry. Then, when he remembered that Cas was out getting food, so he settled onto the couch and grabbed the computer Bobby had gifted him back when Dean had first moved to the town. Dean went onto Netflix and scrolled through random movies, trying to find a good one to watch. By the time he settled on a movie, Cas had returned and walked through the front door.

 

"I have food." Cas murmured, holding up a bag of fast food. "I got you some breakfast from a restaurant on my way back home."

 

"You're a lifesaver." Dean exclaimed, grabbing the bag of fast food as soon as Cas handed it to him. Cas also handed him a drink, a soda he had bought alongside the food. Dean thanked him again before he began devouring his food. Cas even smiled when he saw how eagerly Dean ate his food; he reminded Cas of the childhood dog he had had, always eating every meal as though he had never eaten before.

 

"Don't eat too quickly, you'll get sick." Cas remarked as he set his grocery bags down. "I know you must be starving, but don't inhale the food."

 

"If I get sick from eating then that's the price I have to pay." Dean commented with a mouth full of food. "It's better than going hungry."

 

Cas shook his head, a small smile curving onto his mouth. "Your food isn't going anywhere. It's not going to disappear if you don't eat it within two minutes."

 

Dean paused, a fleeting, unpleasant memory filling his mind. Dean shook his head, finishing off his food with another huge bite. "You don't know that." Dean murmured as he stood up to throw his trash away. Cas heard the small remark, but didn't think much of it. Instead, he just started putting up the groceries he had gotten in the small dorm room pantry.

 

Dean still had a somewhat upset look on his face, and Cas, while not incredibly perceptive, quickly picked up on it.

 

"Hey, Dean. My older sister invited me to go with her to this aquarium in the town over, do you want to come with me? My sister won't mind."

 

Dean turned his head, locking eyes with Cas. "Uh, sure. I've never been to an aquarium."

 

Cas tilted his head. "Well, you'll love this aquarium. I've been there, it's actually quite intriguing." Cas seemed to pause, and added an afterthought. "And my sister's nice. You'll like her, I'm sure."

 

"What's her name?"

 

"Anna. And she has red hair, and she's very competitive."

 

Dean hummed, then stood up and looked at Cas. "Alright. When will we go?"

 

"Anna wants me there in half an hour, so we should leave in ten minutes."

 

Dean hurried to change, putting on a new jacket and some jeans. He patted his hair a little, as it was sticking up some. When he came back out of the bathroom, Cas was typing on his phone. Cas lifted his head at the sound of the door opening, and a pleasant smile formed on his face, one that made Dean smile.

 

"You ready?" Dean nodded, and Cas tossed Dean his keys. "Alright, lets go."

 

Dean and Cas climbed into Dean's car, and Dean began driving to the aquarium, Cas guiding him down the correct streets. 

 

Meanwhile, the two struck up a conversation about their respective classes while Dean played rock songs on low volume. Surprisingly, Cas didn't seem to mind the rock songs, and he actually nodded his head along to the rhythm.

 

They quickly reached the aquarium, and Dean pulled into a decent parking spot. The two walked to the front of the building, where a young woman with red hair stood waiting.

 

"Castiel! There you are!" The woman exclaimed, running over to hug her younger brother. As she pulled away, she glanced at Dean. "Who's this?"

 

"Anna, this is my roommate, Dean Winchester."

 

"Mm. You single?" She remarked, and before Dean could respond, she shook her hand. "I'm just kidding. It's nice to meet you."

 

"It's nice to meet you too." Dean spoke, as she ran a hand through her hair. Anna gave him a sweet smile before turning to Cas.

 

"I have dinner with Michael at 6, so we have to leave by 4, alright?"

 

Cas nodded, and Dean, intrigued, looked at Anna. "Who's Michael?"

 

"Our older brother's boyfriend." Anna explained. "He had the same major as me, so I'll meet up with him occasionally and he'll help me with some of my assignments."

 

As the trio walked into the aquarium and paid, Dean continued to strike up a conversation with Anna. "What's your major?"

 

"English."

 

"Dean." Cas murmured, catching Dean's attention. Cas pointed to a tank nearby, the closest one to the entrance. "It's a tank, look."

 

Dean was in front of the tank in an instant. The tank was full of some saltwater fish, nothing too intriguing, but Dean seemed enamored enough by it. Cas smiled; Dean seemed so awestruck and amazed by something so simple as a saltwater fishtank. It was.... almost amusing.

 

"Do you like the fishtank?" Cas questioned, as if he couldn't already predict Dean's answer from his expression. Dean nodded eagerly, and Cas held back a chuckle at the raw curiosity and awe Dean had.

 

"Haven't you been to an aquarium before?" Anna questioned, tilting her head.

 

Dean shook his head, his attention still primarily focused on the fish. "I've never been to one. Never had enough time as a kid."

 

"Huh. Your family must've been one busy one, then." Anna remarked, placing a hand gently on the glass of the tank. She peered in, her attention caught by one of the more colorful fish.

 

"My family has always been busy." Dean mused, not knowing Anna was no longer listening.

 

"Cas, look. It's a queen angelfish." Anna muttered, tapping her younger brother on the shoulder. "Look how colorful."

 

Cas nodded, his eyes lingering on Dean, who was still enamored by the fish in the tank.  
"Dean, there's more tanks if you want to see them." Cas spoke, and Dean's head whirled around. Cas held back a laugh at how quickly he had caught Dean's attention.

 

"Hell yes."

 

Dean followed Cas over to the otter tank while Anna continued to fawn over the colorful fish in the saltwater coral reef tank. Dean, while he refused to admit it, cooed a little over the otters, a sort of childlike glee filling his face. Dean had rarely ever gotten the chance to just relax and do something fun, like going to an aquarium. 

 

His eyes began to scour the crowds, spotting families with young children and couples holding hands. It suddenly made Dean very grateful he had Cas next to him, though a bit resentful that he couldn't hold hands with Cas like he wanted. As Cas pointed out a few of the otters, Dean laughed, and Anna watched with a sort of curiosity from where she was.

 

When Cas walked off to go to the bathroom, Anna tapped Dean on the shoulders.

 

"Hey, Dean. Can I ask you something?" She asked, her head tilting to the side a bit, just like how Cas's would. Seemed that the head tilt was something that ran in the family.

 

"Hm?"

 

"Are you in love with my brother?"

 

Dean spluttered, caught off guard by the sudden and all-too surprising question. He was about to answer when Anna gave him a knowing look, and he sighed, defeated.

 

"Yes."

 

"Mhm." She murmured, brushing a bit of her hair off her shoulder. "Well, my brother is a bit too oblivious with feelings, so good luck. But if you hurt him, I'll end you."

 

Then she walked off to another tank without a word, and Dean was left red-faced, his eyebrows raised. Cas returned quickly, and Dean remained quiet, observing the otters while he mulled over thoughts in his mind. 

 

Cas, however, soon proved to be enough of a distraction to bring Dean out of his thoughts.  
The two boys walked around the aquarium for quite a while, Cas pointing out tanks while Dean would clamor over them. Cas nearly laughed a few times; it was far too amusing to watch Dean get so excited over something as simple as a fish tank. Then again, from what Dean had said so far of his interests and experiences, it seemed there was still a ton of things he hadn't yet done that most people had. Towards the end of the day, they bought some snacks and sat on a bench, eating and chatting. And both of them could agree that it had been an incredibly fun day.


	6. Halloween

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's finally Halloween. Charlie talks to Dean about sexuality and manages to tag along to the Novak Halloween party Dean and Cas are going to. Dean meets Cas's siblings

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry for such a long wait! I've been struggling with writers block, and I've also been trying to juggle writing around four-five stories at once (cuz I'm an idiot) but I'll hopefully get the next chapter out on time. I'm having a bit more ease writing chapter 7 though so it should be out on time.

“Happy Halloween!” Charlie exclaimed, handing a small bag to Dean as soon as he sat down.

 

Dean took the bag, examining it for a few seconds before he held it up. “What’s this?”

 

“It’s some candy.” Charlie replied. “I’m dropping by my parent’s place to hand out some candy before the party I’m going to tonight starts. I took a bit of candy from the bag I bought.” As Dean looked quizzingly at the bag, Charlie sighed and snatched the bag from his hands, opening it for him. “See? Just some candy.”

 

Dean nodded and took a butterfinger from the bag, unwrapping the candy bar. As he bit into it, Charlie began typing eagerly on her phone, a smile on her face.

 

“Dorothy?” Dean questioned, seeing the smile on Charlie’s face. Charlie laughed and tucked her phone away.

 

“Yeah. She keeps sending me memes of cats.” Charlie tilted her head, letting some of her hair fall onto her shoulder before she glanced at Dean’s face. “You’ve been smiling at your own phone a lot, ya know. Are you perhaps dating someone and decided to not tell me?” When Dean shook his head, her eyes narrowed. “Well, you must be in love then. Who is it?”

 

“Can’t I just be smiling because a friend texted me, and not because I’m in love?” Dean asked defensively, and Charlie thought for a bit.

 

“Yes, I suppose you could, but I’ve seen that look before. That’s love, bitch. Now who is it?” Dean sighed, and Charlie grabbed his hand. “Look, I’d say I won’t pressure you to tell me but unfortunately I’d probably be lying. I can say, though, that I won’t joke around about it nor will I constantly bring it up if you don’t want me to.” Charlie pulled her shoulder up and laid her head on it. “Alright?”

 

Dean nodded, sighing. “It’s my roommate. I think I’m in love with him.”

 

“Awwww.” Charlie sighed, a small smile resting on her face.

 

“It’s not ‘aw’, Charlie. I’m straight!”

 

“Clearly, you’re not if you’re falling for a guy.”

 

“But I-”

 

“Dean.” Charlie spoke, her voice calm yet scary. “Look, if you’re falling for someone of the same sex, that means you aren’t straight. You could be gay, bi or pan. Hell, you could even be polysexual, but you sure as hell aren’t straight. And Dean, dude, I love you but you better damn not pull that internalized homophobia shit on me. There’s nothing wrong with liking someone of the same sex.”

 

Dean paused for a moment, collecting his thoughts. “Wow, straight to the point.”

 

“I think you mean gay to the point.” Charlie replied, pulling out a pin. She handed the pin to Dean, which had the rainbow flag with an equal sign on it. “Take it. I want you to have it. And if you struggle with your sexuality, tell me. I beat myself up over it for months when I was younger. I don’t want you going through that.”

 

Dean nodded, lowering his head. “Thank you Charlie.”

 

“It’s what friends are for, right?” She replied, beaming. “Now, please let me help you with that crush of yours.”

 

~~~~~

 

Cas shifted one of the decorations to the right a bit, then stared at it a bit apprehensively. “No, that’s not right.” He muttered, shifting it again. As Cas fought with where to put the decorations, Dean walked in, carrying his bag full of notes from his classes. Cas was too engrossed in fixing the decorations to notice Dean walking into the dorm room. Dean put his bag down and sighed, collapsing onto his bed with a content sigh. Cas turned his head, glancing at Dean. Cas tilted his head a bit, then sighed and put down the decorations. He walked over and sat next to Dean, laying a hand on Dean’s forehead. “Are you alright, Dean?”

 

Dean nodded, stretching and sighing as relaxation flooded over his body. “Yeah. Just, my classes were really long today and the professors don’t know how to give us a break.”

 

Cas shook his head. “I know that feeling.” Cas shifted a bit, then stood up and grabbed his phone. “The party starts at 8pm. When do you want to pick your brother up?”

 

“At 6. I want to take him out to eat.” Dean murmured, sitting up. He grabbed his phone and began typing out a text message to his younger brother. Not even a minute after he sent it, his phone buzzed with a reply. “Alright, we can get my brother at 6.”

 

Cas nodded. “That's two hours from now, so we should get ready. I’d recommend taking a shower.”

 

Dean nodded, and went to the bathroom to take a shower. When he was done, he got dressed while Cas took a shower. By the time he finished getting dressed, his phone buzzed with a text from Charlie.

 

_'Good luck at that party tonight. Maybe you'll get a boyfriend, hm?'_

 

Dean blushed crimson and typed a hasty response to Charlie, before stuffing his phone away. He then waited for Cas to get out of the shower. As he waited, his phone rang, so he held his phone to his ear.

“Hey Dean.”

“Sammy!” Dean exclaimed, a smile spreading across his face. “Hey, what’s up?”

“Uh, well, I know you said your roommate invited both of us to that party, but I got an invite from my friend to go trick or treating with him, and I-”

“You wanna go trick or treating with him instead? That’s fine.” Dean spoke.

“Thanks for understanding, Dean.” Sam replied, his voice a bit nervous. “I didn’t want to upset you.”

Dean was a bit disappointed, but he hid it well. “You didn’t upset me. Now go and have fun with your friend, okay?”

Dean hung up, then quickly texted his friend Charlie. 'I'm going to a party with my roommate tonight, and I'm allowed to bring one friend. Would you want to tag along?'

Dean almost immediately regretted texting that to Charlie, but he figured she could help him figure out what to say and do there.

His phone buzzed almost immediately with a _'YES'_ in all caps from Charlie. Dean laughed and typed something back. _'Stop by the nearest McDonalds, I'll meet you there at 6.'_

 

When Cas finished with his shower, Dean informed him that they’d be picking up Dean’s friend Charlie instead of Dean’s brother, to which Cas replied “Okay, that’s fine” and continued getting ready. Dean then took to scrolling through apps on his phone, trying to find something to do.

 

Soon, Cas was dressed, and Dean ushered him out the door early, wanting to go out. The two decided to stop at a nearby Five Guys and get burgers. Cas ate his happily, and Dean, for once, didn’t engulf his food. Rather, he ate it at a normal pace, taking moments to say something to Cas as he ate. Cas smiled at the small progress Dean was making. Dean’s eating pace was something that always slightly concerned Cas. Even with his energetic and food-crazed siblings, he had never known anyone to eat as fast as Dean did. Still, Cas didn’t say anything about it. Rather, he just basked in the sight of Dean happily eating food at a normal pace.

 

“I know a great frozen yogurt place near here, you wanna check it out?” Cas asked, and Dean’s head immediately jerked up. He nodded excitedly, and Cas smiled. “Alright.”

 

Cas and Dean soon finished off their food and climbed into the Impala, and Cas pulled up directions on his phone to the froyo place. Cas then read off the directions to Dean, and they quickly reached the froyo place. They both got out of the car, closing the doors in sync, and together they walked up to the building.

 

The air in the froyo place, named Menchies, was crisp, cool and comforting. Dean welcomed the rush of cool air wholeheartedly, smiling as he walked towards the flavors on the back wall. Cas walked behind him, and began pointing out flavors to Dean. Dean eventually settled on dulche de leche (he was somewhat of a fan of caramel) and Cas picked out toasted marshmallow. The two moved to the table that held an array of toppings, picked out a few, then paid for their frozen yogurt.

“This is delicious!” Dean exclaimed as he ate a spoonful of the frozen yogurt.

 

“I’m glad you like it.” Cas remarked, glancing at Dean. “My mom used to take my siblings and I here every other Sunday after we moved here.” His eyes glanced off in the distance, far past Dean, and Dean saw a fond glow in Cas’s beautiful blue eyes. His eyes were a unique blue, quite similar to the typical gray-blue color and yet a bit unique. Perhaps it was just because Dean paid so much attention to Cas’s eyes. He didn’t particularly care which.

 

Cas soon snapped out of his trance, and instead turned to face Dean. “I’m guessing you’ve never been to a Menchies before.”

 

Dean sighed, scouring his brain for memories. “I did, once. My family friend took my brother and I to a Menchies for my brother’s seventh birthday.” A fond smile slipped onto his lips. “My brother looked so happy when we pulled up.” Dean didn’t have many clear memories from before his thirteenth birthday, mainly due to how much time had passed, but he could always remember the days his brother smiled.

 

The two of them continued talking for a bit, and soon got back into the Impala, and Dean drove to pick Charlie up. He became a slight bit anxious when he remembered that Charlie had never met Cas. Dean hoped she wouldn’t go overboard.

 

“Dean!” Yelled Charlie as soon as the Impala rode up into the parking lots of the women’s dorms. She ran towards Dean, both arms held out, and she nearly fell into his arms when she collided with him. They both laughed it off before Charlie’s attention was turned to Cas. “You’re Cas?” She asked, and Cas nodded. “I thought you’d be shorter.”

 

Cas tilted his head a bit in confusion, but stopped when Charlie leapt forward and hugged him. Her short red hair (she had got it cut the weekend prior) bounced as she pulled back, a radiant smile on her face.

 

“Alright, when’s this party start?” She questioned, turning to face Dean.

 

“8 pm.” Cas responded, drawing Charlie’s attention. She turned to face him, and nodded.

 

“Alrighty. I’m gonna duck back into my dorm and change into a more Halloween-y outfit, that alright with you?” When Dean and Cas both nodded, Charlie smiled and ran back to her dorm. When she reemerged, she was dressed in an orange, decorative sweater with a pumpkin wearing sunglasses on it. Her pants were black with purple spiderwebs, and she wore purple sneakers. Some of her hair was pulled back and held by a purple spider hair clip. Overall, she looked to be right out of a Halloween ad.

 

“You look like Halloween threw up all over you.” Dean remarked, and instead of frowning, Charlie laughed.

 

“That’s what I was going for.” She replied, a slight smirk settling on her lips. “Halloween’s one of my favorite days of the year. I figured I should show it. Anyways, since we have nearly two hours before that party starts, ya think we can stop somewhere for food? I haven’t had anything to eat since ten this morning.”

 

Dean nodded, grabbing his keys as the three of them made their way back to the Impala. “We already ate, but we can take you to get something. I honestly wouldn’t mind more food.”

 

“When have you ever said no to food?” Charlie spoke with a grin. Dean smiled and huffed a little, before he sat down in the Impala and stuck the keys into the ignition. He drove to the very same Five Guys he and Cas had visited just an hour prior, where Charlie got herself a burger and so did Dean. The three of them sat at a window table, talking and laughing. The next two hours passed by quickly.

 

At a quarter past eight, Dean, Cas and Charlie pulled up to a large house in the Impala. The house that Cas’s family owned was huge; at least 3000 square feet, with two stories, a pool and lots of windows (which meant lots of rooms). By the time the three of them had gotten out of the car, a middle-aged blonde woman with a tender smile had walked out of the front door of the house. She held her arms out as Cas ran up and hugged her.

 

“Castiel, how have you been? How’s college suiting you?” The woman, who Dean presumed to be Cas’s mother, asked.

 

“It’s great, Mom. I always have a ton of work to do, though.”

 

“Nothing you can’t handle, hm?” She remarked with a laugh. Her attention then turned to Dean and Charlie, who waved. “These are the friends you brought with you?” When Cas nodded, the woman smiled and shook Dean and Charlie’s hands. “The name’s Becky Novak. I’m Castiel’s mother.”

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Mrs. Novak. I’m Dean Winchester.” Dean spoke, and Becky smiled.

 

“It’s nice to meet you Dean. And please, call me Becky.” She spoke, before turning to Charlie. “And what’s your name?”

 

“Charlie Bradbury, ma’am.” Charlie replied. “It’s nice to meet you. And your house looks amazing.”

 

“You haven’t seen the inside of it yet.” Becky remarked with a laugh. “My son Lucifer went all out this year, like he does almost every year. Come in.”

 

Dean and Charlie followed Cas and Becky into the large house, where they were immediately met with a wave of Halloween decorations and music. Bats, ghosts and spiders littered the walls, stair banisters and counters. There was a pumpkin on every counter, and a few lights were strung up.

 

When Cas walked in, the attention of one of the people inside was caught, and they yelled Cas’s name. That caught the attention of everyone else in the house (which came to a grand total of seven people) and soon Cas was surrounded by people who were hugging him.

 

“You must be Dean.” Spoke one of those people, a short, blue eyed man with a crinkled smile. Dean nodded, and the man smiled even wider. “The name’s Chuck Novak. I’m Castiel’s father.”

 

“Where’s Anna, Balth and Gabe?” Cas asked, looking at Chuck.

 

“Oh, you know those three. They’re always late.” Chuck remarked.

 

There were a few people still standing around Cas, but one of the people in the house, a timid-looking boy around Sam’s age walked over to Dean and said hello, introducing himself as Samandriel.

 

“You must be Dean!” Cried a voice, and Dean turned to face a tall, blonde man with a grin on his face. “I’m Lucifer.”

 

“It’s nice to meet you Lucifer.” Dean spoke, and glanced at the man at Lucifer’s side. He was a bit shorter than both Lucifer and Dean, with dark hair and a face similar to John Winchester’s face. It made Dean shiver a bit. He hadn’t seen his father in months, but he could still remember his dad’s face clear as day.

 

“I’m Michael.” Said the man at Lucifer’s side. “Michael Milton. It’s nice to meet you, Dean.”

 

Dean shook his hand a bit tersely. This guy wasn’t Dean’s dad, but he sure looked similar to him, and that put Dean on edge. The man, however, thankfully didn’t seem to notice Dean’s tenseness. “It’s nice to meet you too, Michael.” Dean finally spoke, and Michael nodded.

 

“Gabriel just texted me.” Someone said from across the room. “He said he’ll be here in five minutes.”

 

“Wow, he’s not gonna be an hour late for once.” Chuck joked. Dean smiled.

 

Gradually, Cas introduced each of his siblings and his siblings friends to Dean. By the time Dean got all of their names, a knock came at the door and Gabriel walked in.

 

“Deano!” Gabriel cried, giving Dean a brief hug. “It’s good to see you again. It feels like it’s been forever.”

 

“I saw you earlier this week.” Dean deadpanned, and Gabriel laughed.

 

Over the course of the next half hour, Cas’s two missing siblings, Anna and Balthazar, both showed up. Once everyone was at the house, the party went into full-swing. Music blared, a few people danced and the others talked. 

 

Charlie had pulled Dean into a corner while Cas talked to his siblings. There, Charlie had struck up a conversation with Dean, mostly about Cas and tips about flirting or dropping subtle hints. Thankfully, Charlie refused to even say a word about Dean’s feelings anywhere near Cas or any of his siblings. Despite her desire to tease Dean about it, she knew better than to talk about someone else’s crush so openly.

 

The party lasted a total of four hours, and ended at midnight. Dean had to practically drag Charlie to the car, as she was that tired. Cas managed to get into the car just fine, but he fell asleep during the car ride. After Dean dropped Charlie back off at her dorm, he drove back to his own dorms. He had to wake Cas up, but Cas fell asleep again almost as soon as his head hit his pillows. Dean snuggled up under his own blankets, and though he didn’t fall asleep instantly, it didn’t take him long to fall asleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realized as I was uploading this that they were supposed to pick Charlie up at a McDonalds and not her dorm, so oops


	7. Reminiscent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cas has a nightmare and reminisces on a dark moment from high school

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for homophobia andsome mild violence. All slurs are censored but I would still tread lightly

The month of November soared by particularly quickly that year. Dean had become consumed with his schoolwork and visiting his younger brother that he barely had time to spend a full day with Cas. Of course, now that it was the week of Thanksgiving break, Dean had been doing nothing _but_ spending time with Cas. The two had taken to lounging around in their dorm room, lying lazily on their beds, talking about shows they liked and watching random Marvel movies. Dean had been exercising his control over his feelings, trying not to show them and yet trying to drop subtle hints about his feelings to Cas. However, Anna’s words were proving true; Cas was extremely oblivious when it came to feelings.

 

The morning of November 21st started out normal for Dean, at least until he saw Cas, still asleep, trembling underneath his covers. Dean tore the sheets off of Cas and shook him awake.

 

“Cas?” Dean cried as Cas’s eyes shot open, wide and full of panic. As soon as the light hit him, he blinked a bit, then fell into Dean’s arms. He seemed to deflate, his body becoming almost weightless in Dean’s arms, as Dean ran a hand over Cas’s back.

 

“Nightmare.” Cas murmured, sighing as Dean ran a hand through his raven black hair. Dean wound his fingers through locks of Cas’s soft, silky hair, rubbing softly at Cas’s scalp as Cas leaned into the touch.

 

Dean sighed, murmuring softly against Cas’s head. “You’re safe now, mkay?” Dean murmured, and Cas nodded, digging his head into Dean’s shoulder.

 

Dean soon pulled away to fix breakfast, and Cas laid back down, not bothering to close his eyes. He hadn’t had a nightmare in almost a year. He used to get lots of them during high school, but he had been doing so well. As the smell of food began to fill the small dorm room, Cas closed his eyes and let his mind drift off to the memories he usually kept locked away.

 

_(Two years prior, eleventh grade)_

_“Look boys, it’s the f*g!” A voice cried, causing Cas to momentarily halt. He knew that voice. It was the voice of his tormentor, some kid named Alistair who had been fucking with Cas since ninth grade. Cas and his siblings had complained multiple times about Alistair to the staff of their school, and yet nothing was ever done to stop him._

_Cas decided to ignore the remark and continued walking, hoping Alistair would just walk away or leave him alone. However, things never seemed to work out as he hoped._

_“Where do you think you're going, f*g?” Alistair jeered, his light eyes narrowing as he glanced at Cas, who was currently speed walking down the sidewalk. When Cas didn't answer, Alistair’s expression changed from entertained to menacing. “I said,” Alistair growled, “where do you think you're going, f*g?!?”_

_Cas sped up and tried to escape Alistair and his gang of accomplices, but he soon felt a hand grab at his hair and he fell to the ground, his head falling onto the concrete. Cas winced, trying to stop himself from exclaiming out loud in pain. Then, Alistair put his foot onto Cas’s head and leaned down._

_“As I said before, where do you think you're going, f*g?” Alistair murmured in a deadly calm voice._

_“N-nowhere.” Cas rasped, hoping that his submission would give Alistair a reason to leave him alone. Instead, Alistair used it as a form of entertainment._

_“Have at him.” Alistair muttered, glancing at his accomplices. The three accomplices, by the names of Abaddon, Azazel and Lilith, grinned and began shoving their feet at Cas. Blows landed on his back and side, and he groaned in pain._

_As more and more kicks landed, Cas began to cry out in pain. Suddenly, the kicks stopped. Cas heard a voice, screaming at the four bullies to “GET THE HELL AWAY FROM MY BROTHER”, and he then heard rapid footsteps._

_Cas looked over to see Gabriel, a worried expression written all over his face. Before he had a chance to say anything, another voice spoke up.  
“For the younger brother of Lucifer Novak, you seem to be quite a pacifist.” Crowley drawled, walking towards Cas with a mild expression. He had just chased Alistair and his accomplices off, threatening to sic Lucifer on them. While Crowley and Lucifer were anything but friends, they both hated Alistair and Lucifer would love a reason to tear Alistair to shreds._

_“Oh fuck off Crowley, will you? He’s hurt.” Gabriel exclaimed exasperatedly, his golden eyes focusing back on Cas, who grunted in pain._

_“Come on, we need to get you to the nurse.”  
Gabriel, while lean, lithe and not particularly muscly, picked Cas up and managed to carry him all the way to the nurse, while Crowley walked ahead and scared off anyone who dared look in their direction. When Gabriel walked in carrying a bloodied, bruised Castiel, the nurse stopped dead in her tracks._

_“Hospital.” Was the first thing that slipped from her lips upon the sight of Castiel. “He needs a hospital.”_

_Gabriel sat Cas down onto the bed in the nurse’s office, as the nursed tapped buttons on the phone. She picked it up, uttered a few words and slammed the phone back into the receiver. All at once, her expression changed from panic to worry, and her brown eyes scanned Castiel’s face. She took Castiel’s face in her hand, holding his chin up gently with one hand as she lightly touched his bloody face with the other._

_“Boy, what happened to you?” Were the first words out of her mouth after she got a good look at Castiel. Cas was about to try and lie away, but the nurse seemed to catch on. “And don’t you lie to me or say you tripped down some damn stairs. Who did this to you?”_

_“Alistair.” Gabriel piped up, as the nurse’s eyes drifted to Gabriel._

_“And Abaddon, Lilith and Azazel.” Crowley added dryly, shifting slightly._

_“Those four again, hm?” The nurse muttered, walking over to her desk. “Well, I will escort the three of you outside to wait for the ambulance._

_You,” she spoke, pointing at Gabriel, “will carry Castiel outside until the ambulance arrives.”  
Gabriel grabbed his brother and held him in his arms, carrying him outside, following behind the nurse. She hurried outside, and soon, the wail of ambulance sirens flooded their ears._

_The ambulance pulled up, and the door was immediately swung open. A stretcher was loaded out and placed on the grass, and Gabriel laid his brother on it and hopped into the ambulance with the paramedics. Before they could say anything, Gabriel hurriedly said “I’m his brother”, and the paramedics nodded and loaded the stretcher (and Cas) into the ambulance. The ambulance then rushed off towards the hospital, the sirens wailing the entire way there. A call was made by Gabriel to his father, Chuck, informing him that Cas was on his way to the hospital after getting beat up. They arrived to the hospital by the time that Gabriel hung up with Chuck. They rushed the stretcher out of the ambulance and ran Cas into a hospital room, Gabriel tailing behind. He sat outside the hospital room and tapped his foot, then decided to call up Lucifer, not caring whether he was in a lecture right then or not._

_Gabriel had to dial Lucifer’s number twice before he finally picked up pm the third try. “Gabriel, this better be important. The professor I hate just yelled at me for getting a phone call. I had to run out of class to pick up.”_

_“Cas in in the hospital.”_

_“WHAT?!?”_

_“Azazel, Abaddon, Lilith and Alistair beat him up.”_

_Gabriel could practically hear the venom in Lucifer's voice as he spoke. “Those assholes have crossed the last goddamn line.” Lucifer growled. “Make sure to bail me out of jail if it comes to it.”_

_“I can make no promises.” Gabriel replied, and Lucifer hung up. Gabriel turned and attempted to glance inside of Cas’s hospital room, but the curtains were drawn. With a huff, Gabriel pulled up his dad’s number and checked his dad’s location. Chuck was out in the parking lot._

_“How’s Castiel?” Chuck cried as soon as he spotted Gabriel. Becky was right behind him, her eyes wide and red from crying._

_“I don’t know, they haven't opened the door since he was admitted.” Gabriel admitted, glancing at the curtains. “He didn't look too too bad, but he has a couple bruises. Those kids, they kicked him at least four times each.”_

_“I’m gonna press charges.” Chuck hissed, glancing anxiously at the curtains. “They put my son in the hospital. I won't let them get away with that.”  
Gabriel clicked his tongue but said nothing, and instead waited anxiously along with his parents. After ten minutes passed, all of their other siblings were standing in the hall, having been signed out of school._

_Lucifer stood seething against the wall, digging his nails into his jacket. His boyfriend of five years, Michael Milton, was rubbing his arm gently to try and calm him down. Raphael stood solemn against the wall opposite of Lucifer, his face a neutral, stone-cold expression. Anna stood next to him, holding the hand of 14 year old Samandriel. Balthazar was standing with his arms around Hannah and Anael, trying to calm the both of them down. Chuck stood next to Gabriel, trying to comfort Becky._

_A grudging thirty minutes passed before the doctor finally opened the curtains and walked out to face the Novak family. “He’ll be alright.” She spoke, her voice light and tender. “He did suffer blunt-force trauma, and he has some minor internal bleeding as a result. We’ll have to hook him up to an IV, and he’ll have to stay here for at least a week, preferably two. He’s lucky.” Her eyes drifted to the unconscious Castiel, who laid in the room beyond the glass window. Castiel’s family looked at each other with somber eyes, and they all nodded. “Oh, he can have visitors now, but only for ten minutes. We’ll need to reexamine him after that.” The nurse then nodded and walked off, and the entire Novak family piled into the hospital room. They surrounded Cas’s hospital bed, where he laid half awake, painkillers already flowing through his veins. Cas blinked a little, glancing at Chuck and Gabriel through his lashes with half-lidded eyes._

_“Hey, you’re okay.” Gabriel murmured, placing his hand on Castiel’s cheek. “Just bleeding some, but they’ll fix you up, okay?” Cas glanced up at Gabriel, and nodded weakly. Cas then laid his head to the side and closed his eyes, and he was asleep in seconds._

 

(Present day)

 

Cas woke to the smell of delicious food. When he rose out of bed, Dean cocked his head and smiled. “I was wondering when you’d wake back up.” Dean murmured, standing next to the oven. Cas smiled as well, a sort of adoration filling his eyes as he stared at Dean. He even felt his heart flutter as Dean gave him a smile. Cas didn't know why, but as Dean called him over to eat, Cas shrugged it off.


	8. What heals a broken heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dean takes Charlie out to cheer her up. Cas gets picked up by his siblings and realizes something

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so so sorry for the lack of updates! I've been so busy writing my marvel series and I've hit a bit of a road block writing this story. This chapter is really short and hella crappy but I didn't want to make you guys wait any longer. Please forgive me, and thank you for being so patient <3

December came quicker than anyone was really expecting. The first day of December was met with a light snowfall, enough to cover the ground. Dean had woken up on the first day of December to this snow, and he had ran outside and played in it until the snow melted later that day. Dean had never gotten to fully appreciate snow as a kid. He had seen it, but it was rare for him to have an entire day to just run around in the snow and play. 

 

The first week of December was almost at its end by now. Dean woke up on the first Saturday of December to the smell of waffles and a mug of hot chocolate. 

 

“Here you go.” Cas spoke, handing Dean a mug of hot chocolate. “Drink up. I have waffles made, too.” Dean took the mug and began to drink deeply. After a few seconds, Cas turned back to face Dean. “Oh, I have to visit my siblings today, so I’ll be back at ten or so tonight.” 

 

Dean nodded, glancing briefly towards the window. Cas caught himself staring for a second too long and tugged his attention back to cooking waffles before Dean could notice Cas had been staring. 

 

Once the waffle iron dinged, Cas opened it and laid out the waffle on a plate. He walked over and laid it on the table, where Dean had sat down. Cas placed a container of syrup down as well. Dean began to pour syrup onto his waffles until they were half-drowning in syrup. Dean then shoveled forkfuls of waffle into his mouth, not bothering to eat slowly. Even after being out of his father’s clutches for over five months, he still ate like the food would be thrown away if he didn't finish it in time. 

 

By the time Dean was done eating, his phone lit up and started buzzing with a call, so Dean excused himself and held the phone up to his ear. 

 

“Dean?” Came a wet voice, shaky and unstable, as though the speaker had been crying. Dean almost immediately recognized it as Charlie’s voice.

 

“Charlie? What's the matter?” Dean asked worriedly.

 

“Dorothy dumped me.” Charlie sobbed, her voice breaking. “Can- can you please take me somewhere today? I need to get my mind off of her.” 

 

“Of course, where do you want to go?”

 

“Anywhere. Surprise me.”

 

“Alright. I’ll pick you up in half an hour.” Dean then hung up and turned to face Cas. “My friend got dumped, so I’m gonna need to take her out today to cheer her up.” 

 

Cas nodded in understanding, and Dean grabbed a few clothing items and began to get dressed. Cas too began to get dressed, and the two were both ready within minutes. Dean grabbed his keys and walked out to the Impala, dug the keys into the ignition and started he car. Cas had insisted a sibling of his would be picking him up, and so Cas just stood outside and waved goodbye to Dean as he waited for his sibling to arrive. 

 

Dean drove and drove and drove until he finally reached the girls dorms, and he parked in the parking lot and slid out of the car. As soon as he did, he heard a voice yell his name, followed by a blur of red and suddenly he was engulfed in an embrace. Charlie wrapped her arms around him and sobbed, and Dean ran his hand through her hair and on her back, trying to calm her down. He managed to coax her into the car, and her crying slowed. Dean handed her a couple tissues and she sniffed pitifully.

 

“Are you gonna be okay?” Dean asked, tilting his head. Charlie barely lifted her head, before she tilted her head low and to the side and shrugged her shoulders. Dean placed a hand on her cheek and wiped some of her tears, then clasped both hands on the steering wheel. “C’mon. I got the perfect place to cheer you up.” 

 

He dug the keys into the ignition and started the car, then drove and drove and drove, all the while letting Charlie have complete control over the radio. At one point, she turned the radio off and began playing her own music, which consisted mainly of Panic! At The Disco, Imagine Dragons, Set It Off and more rock/alternative bands. 

 

When Dean finally parked the car, they were stopped outside a large mall. Charlie raised her eyebrow in curiosity, but Dean grabbed her by the hand and dragged her into the mall. The first stop was a salon, where he took Charlie and told her she could get her hair cut however she wanted it. Her hair had grown a bit, so she opted for a shorter style. Dean also paid for her to get a full mani-pedi (albeit she did opt out of getting her nails actually painted and chose to just get them cleaned up) and he sat and waited for Charlie to be done. 

 

~~~~~

 

It was not even half an hour after Dean left when Cas heard the familiar roar of his brother’s van become louder outside his dorm room. Cas smiled and grabbed his trench coat, tugging it on before he ran outside to greet his brother. 

 

Lucifer was leaning against his van, which was an extremely light shade of pink with random red paint splatters here and there. His boyfriend, Michael, stood next to the doors of the van, cocking his head as he saw Cas walk towards them. 

 

Gabriel was already sitting in Lucifer’s van, a grin on his face when he saw his little brother. “Cassie! Hey!” 

 

“Hello Gabriel.” Cas monotoned as his older brother waved feverently at him. Cas opened one of the van doors and sat in the seat next to Gabriel, as Lucifer and Michael both made their way to sit in the front seats.

 

“You ready to go home, lil bro?” Gabriel asked, glancing eagerly at Cas, who just nodded plainly. “Alrighty. Let's go!”

 

~~~~~

 

Dean got back to the dorm late that night, after spending an entire day with Charlie to cheer her up. After getting her hair cut and nearly buying out an entire Hot Topic, Dean was satisfied that he had cheered her up. 

 

By the time he got back, Cas had already returned from his family’s house, and was laying half-asleep on his bed. When Dean set his stuff down, the noise caused Cas to stir. 

 

“Mm?” Cas mumbled, before his eyes drifted over and settled on Dean. “Oh, hello Dean.” 

 

“Hey, Cas. Didn't mean to wake you.” Dean murmured, shuffling through the bag of stuff he had gotten from Hot Topic.

 

“You didn't. I wasn't really asleep.” Cas replied, stretching a little. “But I am going to go to sleep, so goodnight.”

 

Dean peered briefly at Cas, before he turned to walk to the bathroom. “Goodnight, Cas."

 

And for some strange reason, that small little remark made Castiel smile. And it was that moment that Cas realized, he was falling in love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There will probably be a long wait between this chapter and chapter 9, so please forgive me in advance


	9. Donuts, necklaces and plaid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Gabriel brings donuts, Dean gives Charlie a necklace and Cas takes Dean christmas shopping

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I managed to whip this up over two days so it's probably poor quality so forgive me! I'm in Japan at the moment and my brain is fried, so I do apologize if this chapter is bad. Anyways, please enjoy! Sorry for the wait!

“Ya bitch is here with breakfast!” Gabriel yelled when Cas opened the door for him at 7:16 that morning. Cas held back a laugh as Gabriel practically ran into the dorm room with a bag of donuts in hand, stumbling a little from the sheer force of the speed he was going. Gabriel, once steady, placed the box on the table and opened it, waving to the selection of donuts. “Alright, pick your poison.”

 

Cas reached a hand out and grabbed a french crueler, biting into it joyfully. Dean, however, took a double chocolate donut with chocolate frosting while Gabriel grabbed a simple chocolate frosted with rainbow sprinkles. Gabriel, with his donut in hand, laid onto the couch, sitting with his legs spread out.

 

“Gabriel, can you sit more appropriately?” Cas remarked, pursing his lips in distaste. 

 

“Sorry,” Gabriel remarked, stretching his legs out even further, “I’m too gay to sit normally.”

 

Dean stifled a laugh, quickly covering his mouth with his open hand. Cas just sighed in mild exasperation.

 

“So,” Gabriel bit into his donut, “how’s your last weeks before finals treating you two?” 

 

“Better than I was expecting.” Dean murmured, munching on his donut. He moved a little more towards the box, letting his eyes scan over the selection of donuts. “I’m dying, of course, but my professors aren't giving nearly as much review as I was expecting.” 

 

“That's good.” Gabriel murmured as he finished off his donut. He stood and grabbed another chocolate frosted, which just so happened to be the only other chocolate frosted in the box. “My freshman year was an absolute nightmare. The professors never stopped piling work on us. Pretty sure 80% of my class had at least 3 breakdowns in the weeks leading up to finals.” 

 

“Then I’m glad my professors aren't insane.” Dean remarked, cocking his head. Gabriel let out a laugh, shaking his head. 

 

“Yeah. You be glad.” 

 

Dean continued eating, and he finished off his first donut with ease. Once done, he grabbed his backpack and heaved it onto his back. “I got an 8 am class, so I gotta run.” 

 

“Bye, Dean.” Cas said with a wave, standing up to give Dean a proper goodbye. Dean waved in return before walking out and closing the door. Gabriel waited for a moment, observing Cas’s behavior as Cas continued to wave a little even after the door was closed. 

 

“So that's the guy you're in love with, hm?” Gabriel remarked before Cas could say anything. Cas whirled around in surprise and spluttered. “Hm. I don't think he deserves someone as great as you, but he's your crush.”

 

“Gabriel! I’m not-”

 

“Oh can it baby bro. I’ve known you since you were a baby, I know what you're like when you're in love.” Gabriel pulled a lollipop from his pocket and popped it into his mouth. Gabriel then stood and closed the donut box, letting his eyes drift over to Cas. “You need advice, you come to me. I know how oblivious you are in love.” 

 

Cas averted his eyes right as Gabriel walked over to him. Gabriel gave him a quick pat on the back before walking out of the dorm. Gabriel quietly closed th door as he left, leaving Cas alone to his thoughts.

~~~~~

After leaving his dorm, Dean reached his 8 am class pretty quickly. It was mostly because he decided to speedwalk to his classroom, given how far it was from the dorms. Dean might’ve hated running, but he was the type who easily excelled at athletics. He tended to be the fastest runner in all of his gym classes, something he actually prided himself on. 

 

It was quite cold that morning, something Dean loved. He had donned an old leather jacket his dad had given him, something that oddly was his most prized possession. Perhaps it was because the one thing he got completely to himself, the one thing that was his and his alone. It was the one thing that he had had his entire life. 

 

He had, in addition, donned a plaid jacket and a regular black shirt, and a pair of his favorite jeans. They were very worn and ripped with plenty of holes, but they were comfortable, so Dean loved them just the same. 

 

When Dean got to the lecture room, it was almost nearly full. Kids sat all along the seats, but Dean bolted for the seat that was almost always empty. Sure enough, it was empty that morning, as always. 

 

Dean set his bag down and sighed as he sat. He stretched a little, letting the muscles he didn't even know were tense relax. And man, did that feel nice. He then pulled out his phone and checked to see if he had gotten any messages from Sam yet. None. Dean quickly typed a little ‘good morning’ to Sam before stuffing his phone away to lay his head down. 

 

A few minutes passed, and Dean’s head snapped up when he abruptly heard footsteps. His eyes gazed up to see Charlie in front of him. She waved numbly before setting her bag down, and then she sat down, wiping a stray tear from her face. She had been crying quite a bit ever since Dorothy dumped her.

 

“Hey, I got you something.” Dean announced. He fumbled around in his bag, then he handed Charlie a small bag. She took it with mild disinterest, but she soon stared in utter shock when she unwrapped a small ravenclaw necklace.

 

“Dean, you didn't.” She shook her head, letting her eyes gaze up to Dean. Dean nodded, and so she took the necklace and put it on, then took a second to admire it. She immediately turned and hugged him. “Thank you. Thank you so, so much.” 

 

“Anything for you, Charlie.” Dean replied with a smile. The sudden radiance that glowed on Charlie’s face made Dean beam with joy. She twisted the necklace a little with her fingers, gently playing with it. She then held it in her palm and took a picture with the other hand, her eyes glowing as she gazed at the photo. Dean just continued to smile. 

 

Not long after Charlie sat down, the professor stood up and started the daily lecture. Dean put his chin in his hand and twirled his pen around in his hand. Charlie began to doodle swirls on her paper with a red fine tip pen, a small smile on her face. Dean was happy to see her smile. It had been a few days. 

~~~~~

“How were your classes?” Cas inquired the moment Dean stepped back into the dorm. Dean sighed and put his bag down, letting it fall to the floor with a loud thunk. 

 

“They were alright.” Dean replied with a long sigh. He collapsed onto the small couch, not bothering to sit properly. As he yawned, Cas walked over to him.

 

“Well, I need to start Christmas shopping for my family. Mind joining me?” 

 

“I won't be able to buy much, but sure.” Dean murmured, making no effort to move off of the couch. Cas exhaled a little and held out his hand, and after a few blank seconds, Dean took it. Cas pulled Dean up and Dean stumbled for a brief second before standing steady. 

 

“Don't worry about paying.” Cas took out his wallet and peered briefly into it. “I can cover you if you need anything extra.” 

 

Dean shook his head and grabbed his wallet, looking at the money that Bobby had given him for his December allowance. Bobby gave him $1000 a month, way more than Dean wanted. However, whenever Dean tried to fight Bobby on this, Bobby would insist that Dean needed that money, that he made enough to give Dean that much and that he would not take it back.  
So far Dean had spent a little over $200, and most of it had been food; Cas usually bought food for the two of them, so Dean didn't have to pay for himself much. 

 

“I’ll be fine. You don't need to pay for me.” 

 

Cas turned and grabbed his keys, acting as though he hadn't heard the statement. He gazed over at Dean and cocked his head in the direction of the door. “You ready?”

 

Dean smiled a little and stood, fumbling in his stuff for his keys. Once his hands clasped the keys, he held them up proudly and made his way to the door. Cas held it open for him, the gentleman he was, and Dean, for once, didn't mind in the slightest. He walked out of the door and out into the dorm parking lot, striding over to the Impala. He dug the key into the lock and opened the front door, sliding over to unlock the passengers seat. Cas then climbed in, and Dean dug the keys into the ignition. 

 

He drove to the nearby mall, which was surprisingly large for a town as small as theirs. Cas had plugged a gps in for directions, as Dean didn't know how to get to the mall. 

 

The mall was fairly crowded for a tuesday, Dean thought. Cars littered the parking lot, so many of them that it was actually challenging to find a place to park. 

 

It was, however, Christmas season, Dean reminded himself. Crowds weren't that peculiar in Christmas season. 

 

After finally finding a place to park, Dean and Cas made their way to the mall entrance. They had parked near the JC Penny’s, per Cas’s request. Cas had said that JC Penny was the first stop on his list. When they walked into the store, however, Cas paused and stopped Dean.  
“I know you said no money, but please take this.” Cas handed Dean five twenties. “Buy something for your brother.” 

 

Dean shook his head, but Cas shoved the money into his hand and took off without another word. Dean groaned and stared at the money, eventually turning to stuffing it into his wallet. He muttered something under his breath as he began to walk to the nearest map of the mall. He had decided to buy his brother three things: a book on law, a new plaid shirt and something from Harry Potter. Dean didn't know exactly what from Harry Potter, but given that Sam was most likely a Ravenclaw, Dean wanted to get him something to do with Ravenclaw. 

 

Dean sought for a plaid shirt in JC Penny’s, taking to the men's section. Sam loved red, so Dean grabbed a red and black plaid shirt and took it to the cash register. The woman working there lifted her head and almost immediately smiled, as though it was rehearsed. She held her hand out and took the plaid shirt, placing it onto the table. She scanned it and lifted her head up once more.

 

“18.56.” She spoke, holding her hand out. Dean gave her a twenty dollar bill, and she almost immediately dispensed it into the register and pulled out a dollar bill and some coins. “Have a nice day sir.” 

 

Dean nodded and took the bag with his purchase in it, and he clutched the bag in his hand. He then made his way to the next stop, which was Books a Million. Dean figured he’d find a law book there. Where better to find a book than a bookstore, right?

 

It took Dean a few minutes to reach the store, and it was surprisingly empty when he reached it. Other than the employees, only a dozen or so people were walking around in the store.  
Realizing he didn't know what section was what, Dean turned his head and walked to the nearest employee. “Excuse me, where's the law section?”

 

The employee pointed to a section in the back right. Dean thanked him and walked over to the assortment of books, letting his eyes drift over them. There were guides, textbooks and even a few fictional stories, which had obviously been taken from a different section and misplaced. It took Dean a few minutes before his eyes finally landed on one, and he grabbed it. It was a guide for future lawyers or something like that, so Dean figured it’d be good for Sam. 

 

Dean then made his way to the cash register, where an employee stood. They grabbed the book and scanned it diligently, not even looking up as they did so. When the scanner beeped, they looked up at the total, and then held out their hand. “21.30”

 

Dean handed them a twenty and two singles, to which the employee handed Dean a few coins of change. The employee dutifully wrapped the book in a bag, and handed it to Dean. When Dean began to walk away, the employee waved him off. Dean waved a little back as he made his way to the next store.

~~~~~

“You ready to go?” Cas asked when they finally met up after two hours of shopping. Dean glanced at him and nodded. “Alright. Let's go.” 

 

Cas heaved the five bags he was carrying and began to speedwalk towards the Impala. Dean dug the keys out of his pocket and unlocked the car, holding the door open for Cas. Cas ducked his head and began stuffing his bags into the car. 

 

“You sure bought a lot.” Dean commented as he watched Cas struggle to put his bags away. Cas let out a wry laugh.

 

“In my family, there’s no such thing as a lot. You should see our tree.” He shook his head a little as he pushed the final bag into the back, straining a little. “I don't know how we always afford all those presents at Christmas.” 

 

“Lucky.” Dean murmured under his breath, digging the key into the ignition. He had always yearned for presents at Christmas, but the most he’d ever get was a few pencils or a new shirt. 

 

Luckily, Cas didn't hear the remark.  
Once all the bags were safely tucked in the car, Dean began to drive. By then, the streets were a bit more empty, and the drive back to the dorms was peaceful.


	10. Christmas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Christmas happens. Dean and Cas open presents, Gabriel brings food, Sam meets Cas and Bobby talks to Dean about love

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> By the time I upload this it'll be May 3rd but Happy Birthday to Sam Winchester! Have a new chapter in celebration!

Dean very quickly regretted his decision to stay up until 3 am on Christmas Eve.

 

It was 7:30 am, way too early for Dean to function, when he was shaken awake by a very eager Cas. There was a glow in his eyes- excitement, perhaps, or just pure, unadulterated joy. _What was there to be excited about?_ Dean wondered. He was perfectly happy in his bed, tucked under the thick blankets with his head against the warm, cushy pillow. He didn't want to get up. 

 

It wasn't until he finally got up and out of bed that he spotted the dozens of presents stacked neatly under the tree- surely the work of Cas, given how neat the presents looked- and realized that _this _was what Cas had been so excited about. Presents.__

__

__Dean’s suspicion that this was the work of Cas was further supported when Dean saw his own horribly wrapped presents underneath the small tree; when he saw his own wrapping job next to Cas’s, he felt a small wave of shame wash over him, but he shook it off quickly. He didn't want to make this Christmas a sad one._ _

__

__“How’d you get all these presents?” Inquired Dean, staring at the mound of presents with awe._ _

__

__“There's only seven presents,” Cas murmured, crouching down to his knees to gaze at the gifts, “but my parents always give me money for Christmas, to buy gifts.”_ _

__

__Dean was, for once, too amazed to be jealous. He too crouched down, coming face level with the bottom of the small tree. He reached his hands under the tree, pulling out a small, neatly wrapped package that was peach colored with yellow ribbon._ _

__

__Dean carefully undid the ribbon and peeled the wrapping paper off cautiously, not wanting to rip it._ _

__

__Inside the package was a smaller, white package, neatly wrapped. Dean peeled the wrapping off that too, with just as much caution._ _

__

__Inside the smaller package was a box of headphones- apple ones. Dean carefully took them out of the box, holding them in the air._ _

__

__“Thanks Cas.” Dean murmured, placing the headphones into the open palm of his left hand. He had never had a high quality pair of headphones- just $5 from Hot Topic that would break within 3 weeks, which, granted, were decent quality- so he was happy that Cas had gifted him a pair._ _

__

__Cas just nodded and grabbed one of the presents that were for him from under the tree._ _

__

__He didn't seem to mind Dean’s horrible wrapping job- he laughed at the wrapping paper, which had the words ‘Merry Christmas ya filthy animal’ repeating over and over in black lettering against stripes of red and green- and instead just ripped it open, revealing a small box. Inside of said box was a pair of boots that were decorated to look like bees._ _

__

__Cas’s face immediately erupted into a wide smile when he saw the boots. “Thank you Dean. Thank you.” He pulled the boots out, slipped his slippers off and pulled on the boots. His eyes seemed to light up with a childlike glee, and he stared at the boots with utter reverence._ _

__

__Dean couldn't help but blush a little at how happy Cas was with the gift._ _

__

__Determined to shake off the embarrassment, he grabbed another gift, bigger than the first one, from under the tree. It too was wrapped in plain peach colored wrapping paper, tied up with a neat yellow ribbon._ _

__

__When Dean unwrapped it, it revealed a box- a movie collection. It was the entire Harry Potter movie series- from Sorcerer’s Stone to Deathly Hallows Part 2- all stacked neatly. Dean couldn't believe it._ _

__

__He’d been a fan of Harry Potter since he was a child; he’d heard of the first movie when it came out the year he turned five, but his father never let him watch it. Of course, he didn't talk much about his love for Harry Potter, but he did love the series and had always wanted to watch the movies. And now he had the chance._ _

__

__He bit his tongue to avoid crying- thankfully, or really unfortunately, his time living under his dad’s roof gave him enough skill in holding back tears- and picked up the box, holding it up to examine it._ _

__

__“I- I-”_ _

__

__Cas held up his hand and smiled. “You're welcome.”_ _

__

__Dean lifted his head, glancing at Cas. Cas was sitting cross-legged, his hands grabbing at a present under the tree. Dean bit his lip, tears fighting to well up in his eyes, but he fought them back with vigor. Instead, he just opened the package, taking the movies out to examine them._ _

__

__Sure enough, all 8 movies were there, packed neatly into the box. Dean put the movies back into the box after taking a moment to examine them, and he instead reached his hands underneath the tree. His hands soon found a present, and he pulled it out._ _

__

__It was wrapped in green and red paper with white dots on it, complete with a neat white bow on top. Inside the package was a large book, one that Dean quickly saw was all about cars and mechanical engineering and all that. Dean lifted the book with ease, taking a moment to examine it. It was new, with that fresh new book smell that Dean rarely encountered. It was somewhat thick- obviously over 250 pages, as Dean could tell._ _

__

__As Dean gazed at the book, Cas unwrapped his second present- which he soon discovered was a book about Greek Mythology, something he had expressed an interest in before to Dean. Clearly, Dean paid attention._ _

__

__Around ten more minutes of present opening passed by, in which Dean opened four more gifts (the first four Harry Potter books, a $25 gift card to Barnes & Noble and a Led Zeppelin CD) and Cas opened one more (a t-shirt with an AHS design on it). _ _

__

__It was 8 in the morning when a familiar knock came at their door. Cas got up to open it, and he revealed none other than Gabriel standing there, a bag in hand._ _

__

__“I come bearing presents!” Gabriel exclaimed, putting the bag on the floor. “And I also come with food!” And he swung his other hand out, revealing a box of donuts clasped in his grasp._ _

__

__Cas opened the bag of presents to reveal four presents inside- two small and two medium, all of them wrapped somewhat messily. Two were addressed to Dean, and the other two were addressed to Cas._ _

__

__Dean's presents ended up being the fifth Harry Potter book and a plaid shirt, while Cas ended up unwrapping an AHS season 3 dvd and a new trench coat._ _

__

__Gabriel shared the box of donuts, and the three men ended up spending Christmas morning eating donuts and watching the first two episodes of AHS: Coven._ _

__

__~~~~~_ _

__

__“Here we are.” Exclaimed Dean as he tore the key from the ignition. His car was facing the garage of Bobby’s house, where he and Cas had been invited for Christmas dinner after spending two whole hours at the Novak house._ _

__

__“I must say, your guardian has quite a quaint house.” Murmured Cas as he opened the Impala door and stepped out onto the rough pavement on the driveway, the one that desperately needed to be repaved._ _

__

__“Yeah, well, Bobby isn't one for large, show-offy houses.” Dean remarked as he opened his own door and stepped out._ _

__

__Bobby’s house was two stories, yet it gave off a rustic, dilapidated feel, rather than a modern one that one might expect. It had a large backyard, no pool, and the slats on one window were falling off. Still, it was in relatively decent shape._ _

__

__“Bobby is actually thinking of moving.” Cas turned his head at the statement. “Maybe after this summer, or even after the next. He wants to go to Sioux Falls, where he used to live.”_ _

__

__“Would you go with him?”_ _

__

__Dean took a moment to think, then shrugged his shoulders. “Probably. But I may just move after college, and settle in Sioux Falls.”_ _

__

__Cas nodded in reply. He didn't know why, but a huge part of him was screaming no, that he didn't want Dean to ever move, and another part of him was screaming at him to move with Dean if that time ever came. And as Dean began to walk to the house, and Cas followed, he wrestled internally with himself- all the while trying to make it seem like he wasn't._ _

__

__Dean was the first to reach the door. He lifted his hand and rapped his fist against it three times before lowering his hand to his side._ _

__

__Not a second passed before the door was swung open by a surprisingly tall teenage boy- one with lucious brown hair that went just past his chin and large, hazel green eyes that were brimming with adoration at the sight of Dean- and Cas could immediately tell that this was Dean’s brother._ _

__

__“Dean!” Yelled the boy, wrapping both arms around Dean, nearly squeezing the life out of him. “You're here!”_ _

__

__Dean let out a laugh and ran his hand through the boy’s hair as soon as the boy let him go. “What did you think I’d do, Sammy, not show up?”_ _

__

__Sam gave a sheepish grin and shrugged his shoulders. In response, Dean rolled his eyes and then it was Sam’s turn to laugh._ _

__

__The laugh soon dissipated when Sam’s eyes landed on Cas, standing awkwardly two feet behind Dean. Sam held out his arms, cocking his wrists to almost beckon Cas forward. Cas yielded to the gesture and walked forward, only to get pulled into a bone-crushing hug by the eager teen._ _

__

__“You must be Cas!” Exclaimed Sam when he finally pulled away. “I’ve heard so much about you, I’m really happy to finally meet you.”_ _

__

__Cas’s lips twitched and curved into a small smile. “Does he?”_ _

__

__“I’ve never seen that boy talk about someone so much,” came a voice from inside the house, “so you must be pretty damn special.”_ _

__

__And out from the house emerged none other than Bobby, who was adorned with a cap on his head and two different jackets. Clearly, Dean had adopted his fashion from Bobby, in some aspects._ _

__

__“I don't know about special. I’m just me.”_ _

__

__“Well, ‘me’ must be pretty damn spectacular to get Dean to talk that much.” Bobby ushered both of them inside, closing the door behind the two of them when they finally walked inside. “That boy don't talk much, specially about anyone other than Sam over there.”_ _

__

__Cas took his bee boots off at the door and smiled politely._ _

__

__“Well, I’m honored.”_ _

__

__To Cas’s surprise, Bobby smiled at that. Granted, it was short lived and Bobby was soon ushering the three boys to sit- but Cas hadn't suspected Bobby to be the smiling type. When he caught a glimpse of a surprised expression on Dean’s face, he quickly realized that his suspicion was correct- and his surprise was warranted._ _

__

__“Here ya go, Dean.” Murmured Bobby, handing a gift that he had pulled out from underneath the tree to Dean. It was wrapped rather neatly, obviously the work of Sam, and adorned with red and green and white wrapping paper._ _

__

__The gift was quickly revealed to be a gryffindor varsity jacket, something Dean had actually stared at longingly when he took Sam shopping one time, back when they moved to the town. Dean nearly broke down at the gift, but steadied himself and handed Sam a present: a book on law. Sam unwrapped it and started crying._ _

__

__Dean almost instantly wrapped his arms around Sam, pulling his younger brother into a hug as Sam sobbed into his shoulder. Sam wanted to desperately to study law, and now he had a book of his own to study it. The two brothers didn't move for over a minute, just hugging each other._ _

__

__Cas, meanwhile, watched the situation unfold with a calculating expression, as something formed in his mind._ _

__

__~~~~~_ _

__

__“Hey Dean, can I talk to ya a sec?”_ _

__

__At the sound of the voice, Dean lifted his head away from the book he was reading- Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone- and turned to face Bobby, who was standing in a doorway._ _

__

__Dean briefly glanced at Sam- who was talking eagerly to Cas about the Harry Potter books- and nodded. He stood up, gave a tiny wave to Sam and walked towards Bobby. Bobby then led him up the stairs and into the room that would be his bedroom over the summer._ _

__

__“Be frank with me Dean- are you in love with that Castiel?”_ _

__

__Dean choked in surprise and spluttered, a red blush spreading across his cheeks._ _

__

__Before he could open his mouth to deny it, Bobby spoke out a harsh “don't you dare lie to me, Dean.”_ _

__

__Dean briefly locked eyes with Bobby, bit his lip and sighed. “Yes. I am.”_ _

__

__Bobby shifted. Dean’s eyes barely lifted, scanning Bobby’s face in a vain effort to find any trace of disapproval- of disappointment, or hate. He waited for the traces of John to appear- oh god, just the thought of John finding out made Dean flinch._ _

__

__“Well, boy, I certainly wouldn't have expected you to fall for a guy.”_ _

__

_Here it comes._

__

__“But,”_ _

__

_Oh god, here it comes._

__

__“I’ll support you. If you really love that guy, then he's welcome anytime.”_ _

__

__Silence._ _

__

_Oh god. It didn't come._

__

__Dean blinked, partly from confusion and partly from shock. He had braced himself to be yelled at, to have Bobby scream at him- but Bobby was not John. Not in any way._ _

__

__John would have yelled. He would have screamed, have thrown bottles and thrown punches and god knows what else- he was a storm when he was angry, ripping through everything in his path, be it his furniture, bottles, Sam or Dean. John didn't care, he just destroyed everything._ _

__

__But Bobby wasn’t John._ _

__

__And Dean didn't know why he had even braced himself in the first place._ _

__

__Tears beaded Dean’s eyes, and before he knew it, he had collapsed into Bobby’s arms, crying his heart out. Bobby hadn't even questioned why; he had immediately held his arms out and taken Dean into a hug, running his hand over Dean’s back to calm him._ _

__

__And suddenly, Dean was grateful that Sam and Cas were both downstairs and far out of earshot._ _


End file.
